Kuladeep Rajamudili: Playing with lasers

Hyderabad: Getting awards for experimental physics using lasers is something Leonard Hofstadter from the TV show, The Big Bang Theory, always dreams about. And that’s exactly what real-life physicist Kuladeep Rajamudili has done.

 

A doctorate student at the University of Hyderabad, 29-year-old Kuladeep has been working on ultra-fast laser interaction and its implications for his PhD research. Last month, he was adjudged the 2nd runner up in the Dr K.V. Rao Scientific Society’s Science Awards in the Young Scientist category.

 

The award, which until last year considered annual applications from the former united Andhra Pradesh, this year invited scholars researching at registered universities across South India, making the selection process tougher.

 

Kuladeep, who grew up in Kakinada, moved to Hyderabad after his MSc in physics from Nagarjuna University to study for his PhD research. “Currently, I’m studying light-matter interactions using an ultra-fast laser,” he says. 

After submitting his thesis to the Society, Kuladeep gave a presentation on “Femtosecond Laser Micro/Nano Machining on Silicon Surface for Photonic Applications”. 

 

Kuladeep explains it with an analogy. “To give a blood test, you usually give a drop and wait for two-three days,” he explains, adding, “Now, with a small device you can test everything, including sugar levels, almost instantly. Similarly, if we use this technology on any unknown substance, it will list out the components of the sub-state. For example, it will show any impurities or unknown components within a liquid. There are a lot of applications.”

 

Simply put, with the help of Kuladeep’s research, it will soon be possible to use lasers to tell the composition of any material, down to the nano-level, which will be lesser than the focal spot of the laser itself. While there is a lot of physics that goes into it, he says all they try to do is understand it as much as possible and propose theories.

 

Kuladeep also adds that he will be donating his winnings — Rs 10,000 — to a charity.