RUI: Electronic Spectroscopy and Hyperfine Structure of Metal Free Radicals

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In this project, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Thomas D. Varberg of Macalester College and his undergraduate research students will record and analyze the electronic spectra of transition metal-containing diatomic molecules such as AuF, TaH, TaF, and TaO. By fitting parameterized molecular Hamiltonians to the measured transitions, the investigators will determine accurate values for the important molecular constants and the bond lengths. The nuclear hyperfine structure of the molecules will be studied at higher resolution by intermodulated fluorescence spectroscopy. The analysis of the hyperfine structure will illuminate details of the bonding in these metal free radicals. Understanding such molecules is important to fields as diverse as astronomy, catalysis, metallurgy and organometallic chemistry. Diatomic molecules containing a transition metal display the simplest form of metal bonding and are therefore relevant as initial models for more complex systems.Besides the potential broader scientific impact of the proposed research, Prof. Varberg will continue to provide his undergraduate collaborators with valuable research experience, which will help them to pursue careers in science and technology.