Modern Laser Techniques in Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory

9451976雅各布斯在过去的二十年里，可调谐脉冲激光和分子束的应用彻底改变了物理化学领域。然而，这两项重大技术进步在大多数本科生实验室中都很少见。本项目在本科生化学课程中引入了一套由Nd：YAG泵浦的染料激光系统和分子束装置，通过一系列实验研究了化学中间体在溶液中的快速动力学，分子和团簇在超音速膨胀中的高分辨率非线性光谱，以及气相中的光解动力学。学生最初将使用这些设备进行有组织的实验室实验；然而，他们稍后将有机会利用这些设备来执行他们自己的研究计划。在为期一年的物理化学实验室课程中，学生将被要求准确地学习仪器如何进行测量，学习基本的电子学，计算机接口和数据采集编程。这样，他们在实验室内的科学探索不再受到他们的技术专长的限制，相反，他们可以按照他们的想象力指导他们创造性地实施实验。实验室的重点放在学生形成和实施自己想法的科学过程上。

9451976 Jacobs past two decades, applications of tunable pulsed lasers and molecular beams have revolutionized the field of Physical Chemistry. Yet both of these major technological advances are far from commonplace in most undergraduate laboratories. This project introduces a Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser system and molecular beam apparatus to the undergraduate Chemistry curriculum in a series of experiments which interrogate the fast kinetics of chemical intermediates in solution, the high-resolution nonlinear spectroscopy of molecules and clusters in supersonic expansions, and the dynamics of photodissociation in the gas phase. Students will initially use the equipment to carry out structured laboratory experiments; however, they will later have the opportunity to utilize the apparatus in executing their own research proposals. Throughout the year-long Physical Chemistry Laboratory course, students will be challenged to learn exactly how instruments make measurements, learn basic electronics, computer interfacing, and data acquisition programming. This way, their scientific exploration within the lab is no longer limited by their technical expertise, but instead, they can creatively implement experiments as their imagination guides them. Emphasis in the lab is placed on the scientific process by which students formulate and implement their own ideas.