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

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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.