SGER: Excited-State Decay Dynamics of Gas Phase Europium(III) Complexes

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Professor Mary Berry of the University of South Dakota is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to study the excited state decay dynamics of vapor phase lanthanide complexes. These experiments represent the first application of spectroscopic molecular beam methods to the case of lanthanide complexes, complementing studies by others on alkali, alkaline earth and transition metals. Resonance Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy will be employed to investigate europium (III) complexed with organic ligands. The initial focus will be on the feasibility of REMPI detection in these molecular systems. These gas phase studies will allow the spectroscopy and dynamics to be determined without the convoluting factors of crystal strain and solvent and ion interactions. Lanthanide compounds are important in energy applications and are used as materials for lasers, for example. A more thorough understanding of the spectroscopy of these compounds will prove useful in developing new optical materials. The PI has an excellent mentoring record including Native American students.