Collaborative Research: Development of Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave Spectrometers for Applications in Biomolecule Electronic Spectroscopy

在化学研究仪器和设施：仪器开发（CRIF:ID）计划的支持下，弗吉尼亚大学主校区化学系将在Brooks H. Pate的指导下开发两台啁啾脉冲傅立叶变换微波（CP-FTMW）光谱仪，用于生物分子电子能谱学。这项工作将与匹兹堡大学化学系的David W. Pratt合作完成。开发工作将包括研究使用激光烧蚀源蒸发可折叠分子，构建具有生物分子旋转光谱优化的同轴几何形状的CP-FTMW 11GHz光谱仪，以及开发具有降低带宽操作为200MHz的成本效益的CP-FTMW光谱仪。该光谱仪将与激光源兼容，进行紫外激光-微波双共振光谱分析。这些仪器将用于从完全分辨的纯旋转光谱中确定气相中相对非常大的分子的结构和动力学性质。特别令人感兴趣的是具有生物学意义的构象柔性分子。11GHz光谱仪将提供给来自国家实验室、工业、其他大学（主要是本科院校）的科学家和学生组成的网络。具有成本效益的200 MHz光谱仪将允许研究人员在自己的实验室中进行实验，充分利用主光谱仪的结果。通过增加这种仪器的可及性，将加强与PUI机构的合作研究。

With support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities: Instrument Development (CRIF:ID) Program, the Department of Chemistry at the University of Virginia Main Campus will develop under the direction of Brooks H. Pate two chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometers for applications in biomolecule electronic spectroscopy. This work will be done in collaboration with David W. Pratt in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. The development work will involve studies using laser ablation sources to evaporate involatile molecules, construction of a CP-FTMW 11GHz spectrometer with a coaxial geometry optimized for rotational spectroscopy of biomolecules, and development of a cost-effective CP-FTMW spectrometer with a reduced bandwidth operation of 200MHz. The spectrometers will be compatible with laser sources to undertake UV laser-microwave double resonance spectroscopy. These instruments will be used to determine the structural and dynamical properties of relatively very large molecules in the gas phase from their fully resolved pure rotational spectra. Of particular interest will be conformationally flexible molecules of biological interest. The 11GHz spectrometer will be made available to a network of scientists and students from national laboratories, industry, other universities, including principally undergraduate institutions (PUI). The cost effective 200 MHz spectrometer will allow researchers to fully exploit results from the main spectrometer with experiments performed in their own laboratories. By increasing the accessibility of such instrumentation, collaborative research with PUI institutions will be enhanced.