Research

From measurement to predictive control.

I study how short-lived physical events can be measured, interpreted, and controlled. Across laser-induced plasma, droplet dynamics, and multi-MHz OCT, I connect optical-system design, time-resolved measurement, quantitative reconstruction, physical modeling, and uncertainty assessment.

Journal of Applied Physics Figure 6 showing modeled and experimental evolution of a plasma core after single-pulse laser-induced breakdown. — Figures 6 and 7 from Insight into the evolution of laser-induced plasma during successive deposition of laser energy, Journal of Applied Physics (2022).

Journal of Applied Physics Figure 7 showing modeled and experimental evolution of a plasma core after successive double-pulse laser energy deposition. — Figures 6 and 7 from Insight into the evolution of laser-induced plasma during successive deposition of laser energy, Journal of Applied Physics (2022).

Laser energy deposition, plasma evolution, and ignition

Laser energy deposition creates a coupled sequence: optical breakdown, blast-wave formation, plasma cooling, mixing, and, under suitable conditions, ignition. I study that sequence with high-speed Schlieren and spray imaging, absorbed-energy measurements, finite-volume simulations, thermochemistry, and radiation modeling. Producing a breakdown spark is not by itself sufficient for ignition: spatial placement, hot-kernel lifetime, pulse timing, and heat loss determine whether the deposited energy produces a sustained response.

Role in this theme

This theme includes my first-author Applied Energy study and Ph.D. work on experimental-facility development, high-speed optical diagnostics, and laser-ignition analysis.

Laser-induced breakdown and plasma-kernel evolution
Single- and double-pulse energy deposition
Atomized fuel-air ignition
High-speed shock-wave tracking
Ph.D. thesis: facility, acquisition, and analysis development

Droplet dynamics under vortex, shock-wave, and laser forcing

Short-duration pressure and vorticity impulses can deform, accelerate, and fragment droplets across distinct regimes. My work spans co-axial vortex-droplet interaction, shock-induced aerobreakup, laser-driven fragmentation of droplet arrays, and predictive control of single-droplet propulsion. The current emphasis is to connect calibrated forcing conditions and measured uncertainty with physically interpretable response maps.

Role in this theme

This theme includes my first-author PNAS study and an equal-contribution role in the 2022 droplet-array paper.

Shock-droplet and vortex-droplet interaction
Laser-driven propulsion and fragmentation
High-speed shadowgraphy
Aberration-aware optical modeling
Placement-energy maps and uncertainty propagation

Multi-MHz OCT endoscopy and biomedical optical systems

My biomedical-optics work focuses on multi-megahertz OCT endoscopy and the engineering required for stable imaging. The published evidence covers prototype instrumentation, model samples, ex vivo and postmortem tissue, and low-latency visualization; it does not imply demonstrated clinical diagnostic performance.

Role in this theme

The 2024 Scientific Reports paper records my contribution to probe design and development and experimental investigation; my first-author Optics Express study focused on sensorless rotational synchronization and imaging stability.

FDML-based multi-MHz OCT
Fiber and free-space optical design
Probe and optomechanical development
Sensorless rotational synchronization
Image quality, timing, and distortion analysis

A connected technical toolkit

The exact stack changes with the problem. The standard remains the same: traceable assumptions, quantitative evidence, and reproducible analysis.

Optics

Zemax OpticStudioOCTFDML lasersGaussian beam propagation

Experiment

High-speed imagingSchlierenShadowgraphyPIVPLIF

Computation

C++20PythonMATLABMPIFinite-volume CFD

Engineering

SolidWorks3D printingSensorsMotorsSystem integration

Validation

Uncertainty propagationParameter mapsError analysisBenchmark cases

See the research record

Journal articles and proceedings are maintained separately, with independent numbering and direct links where available.

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