Resonance Light Scattering and the Study of Synthetic and Biological Light-Harvesting Systems

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This is an award through the Collaborative Research in Undergraduate Institutions Program for support of a research center under the leadership of Robert F. Pasternack of Swarthmore College for the study of synthetic and biological light-harvesting systems, with emphasis on the technique of resonance light scattering. Supported through the Special Projects Office of the Division of Chemistry, the center is a collaboration of faculty and students from Swarthmore, Haverford, and Goucher Colleges. The interdisciplinary research seeks to determine the molecular parameters that are necessary for resonance light scattering from aggregrated chromophores and to formulate a general theoretical description of the process. Further, the research will develop techniques of dynamic resonance light scattering to study the dimensions of chromophore aggregrates and the mechanisms of aggregation and of time-resolved resonance light scattering to probe photochemical processes involving energy and electron transfer. A central facility, to be located at Swarthmore, will house a versatile laser light scattering apparatus capable of both static and dynamic light scattering experiments, angle-dependent scans, and polarization-dependent measurements. Center research into the interactions of light with synthetic and biological systems contributes to the new NSF initiative in optical sciences and engineering. In addition to generating new knowledge on light-harvesting systems, the center provides undergraduate students from three colleges with an interdisciplinary, collaborative research experience. The center is a premier example of the integration of research and education.