A COMPACT TURNABLE INFRARED LASER FOR MALDI MS

拟议的研究的目标是开发紧凑的，廉价的，可调谐的红外（IR）激光与基质辅助激光解吸电离（MALDI）质谱使用。MALDI是分析大生物分子的强大工具，现在几乎完全使用紫外（UV）波长范围内的激光进行。尽管红外激光在许多情况下比紫外激光具有显著优势，但不使用红外激光，例如分析高质量DNA分子、非常低质量的分子、凝胶分离的蛋白质、液体基质和组织样品。红外激光器广泛用于MALDI的主要障碍是现有红外激光器的尺寸、成本和复杂性。OPO基于KTA（4-钾钛氧基砷酸盐）晶体，该晶体在IR中具有低吸光度和高损伤阈值。OPO由1064 nm的Nd：YAG激光器的基波波长泵浦，具有2.5至3.5 μ m的调谐范围。该范围对于在OPO和基质分子的振动吸收之间提供波长重叠是必要的。拟议的商业应用：基质辅助激光解吸电离（MALDI）质谱法需要小而便宜的红外光源。紧凑型IR OPO的商业应用包括分析高质量DNA和蛋白质、凝胶分离蛋白质、低分子量物质、直接液体导入和冷冻组织切片，可作为独立的改装装置或新型质谱仪的选件。

The goal of the proposed research is to develop compact, inexpensive, and tunable infrared (IR) laser for use with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. MALDI is a powerful tool for the analysis of large biological molecules and is now almost exclusively performed with lasers operating in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength region. IR lasers are not used even though they offer significant advantages over UV lasers in many situations such as the analysis of high mass DNA molecules, very low mass molecules, gel separated proteins, liquid matrices, and tissue samples. The main impediment to the widespread us of IR lasers for MALDI is the size, cost, and complexity of existing IR lasers. The OPO is based on a KTA (4-potassium titanyl arsenate) crystal that has low absorbance in the IR and high damage threshold. The OPO is pumped by the 1064 nm fundamental wavelength of a Nd:YAG laser and has a tuning range of 2.5 to 3.5 um. This range is necessary to provide wavelength overlap between the OPO and the vibrational absorption of the matrix molecules. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The need for small and inexpensive IR light sources for matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry is great. Commercial applications for the compact IR OPO either as a stand alone retrofit unit or as an option for new mass spectrometers include analysis of high mass DNA and proteins, gel separated proteins, low molecular weight species, direct liquid introduction and frozen tissue sections.