Postcard from Brazil: UBC student brings laser experiment to Rio de Janeiro

By Emily Altiere

I knew I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity but I was still scared.  When I arrived in Rio de Janeiro, I had no idea what to expect. It was my first trip to South America, I didn’t speak any Portuguese, and I only knew my Brazilian supervisor, whom I’d met once before.

After I landed, I was greeted at the airport and taken to UFRJ and then to my apartment in Santa Teresa, an old neighbourhood on a hill. Once I looked out my window and saw the view of the bay and Sugarloaf Mountain, I realized just where I was. It was amazing.

Rio de Janeiro was the biggest city I’d lived in and I had to learn to make my way around safely. So I knew there would be many new challenges over the next four months. I brought my laser experimental set-up with me from UBC and re-building it and making it work in new working conditions was the biggest challenge of all.

The laser source is an infrared laser, which is frequency doubled twice to make the ultraviolet light required to study the 1S-2S, the energy transition of hydrogen. The LASER group at UFRJ developed a new cryogenic hydrogen source. They will use my laser to perform precision spectroscopy of the 1S-2S transition, which has the potential to be the most precise measurement yet.

I have been here for three months now and have been challenged every day as I solve new problems in my lab and adapt to Brazilian life. The best part of my experience has been meeting my wonderful Brazilian friends, both in and outside my lab. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work and live in a country that is so different from Canada and get exposure to new ideas and research methods.

Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for their support of the Globalink research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Globalink program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewanand Research Manitoba.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca

Mitacs Team

Mitacs’s website content is created by people throughout our organization, united in their passion for innovation and eager to share their perspectives with others in the innovation ecosystem. 

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