RUI: High Resolution Spectroscopy of Stable Molecular Species and Free Radicals

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In this project, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Michael Jackson and undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse will detect and measure optically pumped molecular laser (OPML) emissions in the far-infrared (FIR). These emissions then will be used as coherent radiation sources in laser magnetic resonance (LMR) and laser Stark spectroscopy experiments. The FIR-LMR technique will be used to study diatomic and triatomic free radicals, including NH, ND, FeH, FeH2, FeD2, CoH, and HF+. In addition, a Stark spectrometer will be constructed for use with the OPML system to investigate the electric dipole moments of the high-energy rotational states of ammonia, methyl fluoride, methyl chloride and similar molecules. Visiting scholars from Mexico, Brazil, and Canada will assist Jackson and his students in recording the LMR and Stark spectra. The data will be analyzed in collaboration with the group of Professor John Brown of the University of Oxford. The free radicals to be studied are of fundamental theoretical interest. The high-resolution spectroscopic work also will facilitate the detection of these species in interstellar clouds and contribute toward the understanding of the mechanisms of their formation. The research will provide La Crosse undergraduates with excellent training in laser spectroscopy. The results of the work will be presented at national and international meetings and published in the scientific literature.