Artem Rudenko

Artem Rudenko serves as Cortelyou-Rust Professor and Director of the JR Macdonald Laboratory in the Department of Physics at Kansas State University. His research program bridges laboratory-based ultrafast laser experiments with international free-electron laser facilities including LCLS (Stanford), FLASH (Hamburg), and SACLA (Japan), utilizing advanced reaction microscopy techniques for molecular-scale imaging.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (2002)
• M.S. from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (1998)

Rudenko's research centers on ultrafast light-matter interactions, particularly how atoms, molecules, and nanostructures respond to intense X-ray and optical pulses. His group pioneers "molecular movie" techniques using pump-probe methodologies to capture electron dynamics and nuclear motion at femtosecond-attosecond resolutions. Key methodologies include Cold-Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy and Velocity Map Imaging for coincidence detection of reaction products, enabling studies of multi-electron ionization, wave packet dynamics, and interatomic decay processes.

Analysis of his 2021 publications reveals dominant trends in X-ray induced molecular fragmentation, ultraintense multiphoton processes, and laser-material interactions across atomic, molecular, and condensed matter systems. His work consistently leverages international free-electron laser facilities while developing novel imaging approaches for light-driven phenomena.

Research funding is secured through major federal agencies:

• Department of Energy
• National Science Foundation

Rudenko actively mentors doctoral researchers, currently advising four PhD graduates (Keyu Chen, Sanduni Kudagama, John Searles, and FNU Shalauddin). His leadership of the JR Macdonald Laboratory establishes it as a hub for ultrafast science, operating sophisticated laser systems and fostering collaborations with global facilities. The lab specializes in developing reaction microscopy techniques for coincidence imaging of ionization and fragmentation dynamics.