MRI: Development of a Chirped-Pulse, Fourier-Transform mm-Wave Pulsed Uniform Supersonic Flow Spectrometer

韦恩州立大学的Arthur Suits教授和麻省理工学院的Robert Field教授获得了主要研究仪器（MRI）项目的奖金，他们将开发一种光谱仪，该光谱仪将结合两种强大的技术：超波段啁声脉冲、傅里叶变换微波光谱和从拉瓦尔（会聚-发散）喷嘴获得的脉冲均匀超音速流。这种组合有可能为在30-50 K下受热的近新生物质提供一种几乎通用的检测方法，可以提供反应中间体、激发态和振动分布的定量测量。该提案旨在加强各级的研究培训和教育，特别是在以下领域：(a)异构体和构象的检测，(b)不稳定反应中间体的定量检测和光谱表征，产品振动分布和分子激发态，以及(c)反应动力学，动力学，燃烧和大气化学，物理和天体化学。这种独特的光谱仪结合了两种强大的新技术，使用了为通信行业开发的复杂电子设备。这种结合产生了一种新的东西：一种可以检测微量不稳定反应产物或分子激发态的绝对数量的仪器，同时确定它们的结构：结合光谱学（提供结构信息）和动力学（揭示反应事件的细节）。这些独特的属性表明，新仪器将在许多领域具有广泛的适用性。在仪器的开发、建造、测试和调试过程中，许多学生将参与其中。

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program Professor Arthur Suits from Wayne State University and colleague Robert Field from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology will develop a spectrometer that will join two powerful technologies: ultrabroad band chirped-pulse, Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy and pulsed uniform supersonic flows obtained from a Laval (convergent-divergent) nozzle. This combination has the potential to offer a nearly universal detection method for near-nascent species thermalized at 30-50 K, that can deliver quantitative measurements of reaction intermediates, excited states, and vibrational distributions. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research training and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) detection of isomer and conformers, (b) quantitative detection and spectroscopic charaterization of unstable reaction intermediates, product vibration distributions, and molecular excited states, as well as (c) reaction dynamic, kinetics, combustion and atmospheric chemistry, physics and astrochemistry.This unique spectrometer combines two powerful new techniques using sophisticated electronics developed for the communications industry. The combination results in something new: an instrument that can detect absolute numbers of trace amounts of unstable reaction products or excited states of molecules, and at the same time determine their structure: combining spectroscopy (giving structural information) and dynamics (revealing details of the reactive events). These unique attributes indicate that the new instrument will have broad applicability across many fields. During development, construction, testing and commissioning of the instrument many students will participate.