Lasers, Gases, and Science: Orr’s Discoveries

Profile Story
By: Jarod White

Keegan Orr places the goggles over his eyes, recognizing the power his lasers have in his non-
equilibrium thermodynamics laboratory at The Ohio State University. Orr plugs in all of his
power supplies, tests his optical devices, checks for safety, then fires his lasers through multiple
tests. It may be based on simple physics but it is the same physics that sends our worlds
astronauts into space and beyond.

As a graduate student, Orr studies high-strength lasers in Ohio State’s College of Engineering
program. His team creates what are called non-equilibrium thermodynamic systems, found in
plasmas and flames. With the rise of defense applications, laser science is shocking its way
through the use of many industries needed in today’s world.

“There is interesting physics and chemistry going on in plasma and flames that are still not
understood--as well as high speed flows that are four or five times faster than the speed of
sound,” Orr says. “We create systems in the lab by running gasses through different pressures
and speeds. We are able to learn how much of certain chemicals are present.”

Orr’s work applies to pioneering technology, paving the way for its industry standard in physics.

“We are talking about high speed missiles, rockets, aircrafts that travel very, very quickly,” Orr
says. “It can also be applied to plasma depositions so there are ways of using plasmas to make
stuff as well as plasma medicine.”

When Orr was younger, he always stood out to his peers for his interest in building things.

What started out as a high school project for physics class turned into the Keegan Orr show. Orr
built four trebuchets, the medieval contraption that acted as a catapult, for his classmates. Orr
benefited from it in a big way.

“Students paid me to make theirs by the time they took the class,” Orr laughs. “Other students
saw how good mine were. I [also] made a whole bunch of model rockets with my Dad for a
while, built custom RC cars--I was always into building stuff,” Orr said.

As a kid, Orr was passionate about solving problems and diving deeper into the study of light.
Ranging from the study of physics to solving problems at home, Orr’s passion derives from
discovering the unknown.

“I really like the laser-side of this. I really like learning about lasers--running them, building them,
fixing them, designing them. There are a lot of ways to take that,” Orr says. “I always have been
into physics and taking things apart and understanding things. I really like lasers.”
Three years ago, Orr first walked into the laboratory with his team--under the instruction of
engineering professors. With such integrity and prestige of the university’s program, students
were given the freedom to explore their interests of study.

The lab is like Otterbein’s “The Point,” but on steroids.

For an ordinary person, not familiar with physics, imagine yourself inside a computer hard drive.
Their space is designed to run tests that require the best equipment at all times. Imagine taking
apart a transformer from the blockbuster film series, then you are starting to get closer to what
the space feels like.

“When you come into a lab like this, everything is advanced and specialized, Orr says. “When I
came in, my professor gave me projects to work on and I got to choose which projects to work
on.”

It was that freedom that gave Orr his sense of identity in the world of science--exploration
through lasers.

“That’s what my brain wants me to do. I feel pretty passionate about it,” Orr says. “I like the
equations a lot, they are beautiful to me.”

Orr earned a BS in Engineering Physics from Otterbein in Spring 2018. Working in the physics
labs on campus, Orr got his hands on lasers and began to stabilize tunable lasers with Dr.
Aaron Reinhard.

Just last year, Orr received the 2020 Walter Lambert Award of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics for best university paper. The paper focused on new,
groundbreaking laser techniques--known as Electric Field Induced Second Harmonic (EFISH).

Orr is nowhere near done. With his current education and experience, his career after school
will be even more promising than his already published work. It is his passions for new
discoveries that will propel him forward in the industry.

“It's like peeling back the layers of the universe and taking a peek at what's inside. That to me
feels very powerful, spiritual in a way.”
Notes (Not a part of story)

“ We zap it with electrodes that we then fire lasers through. We are able to learn how much of
certain chemicals are present. How much water, this chemical or that chemical, are we getting?”

battles between his own curiosity and the safety requirements needed to perform a safe and
effective gas laser shot.

“We create what are called non-equilibrium thermodynamic systems. This is found in plasmas
and flames.”

“There is interesting physics and chemistry going on in plasma and flames that are still fully not
understood--as well as high speed flows. 4 or 5 times faster than the speed of sound.”

“We create systems in the lab by running gasses through different pressures and speeds. We
zap it with electrodes that we then fire lasers through. We are able to learn how much of certain
chemicals are present. How much water, this chemical or that chemical, are we getting?”

“A lot of this stuff has applications to defense applications and hypersonic vehicles.We are
talking about high speed missiles, rockets, aircrafts that travel very very quickly. It can also be
applied to plasma depositions so there are ways of using plasmas to make stuff as well as
plasma medicine.”

“We use plasmas to investigate the property of plasmas which are useful for so many fields.”

“I really like the laser-side of this. I really like learning about lasers--running them, building them,
fixing them, designing them. There are a lot of ways to take that.”

“I always have been into physics and taking things apart and understanding things. I really like
lasers. As a kid, I liked playing with lasers.”

“When you come into a lab like this, everything is advanced and specialized. When I came in,
my professor gave me projects to work on and I got to choose which projects to work on. I get
an optics table, a laser, mirrors, optical devices, power supplies, but we all share the space too.”
“The lasers will blind you instantaneously. There are a lot of precautions we take for safety.”

Passion behind it
“I like solving problems. That’s what my brain wants me to do. I really like the physics of light. I
feel pretty passionate about it. I like the equations a lot, they are beautiful to me. It's like peeling
back the layers of the universe and taking a peek at what's inside. That to me feels very
powerful, spiritual in a way.”

“[In the lab] Grinding, working hard, solving problems. You do a lot of different things.”