Acquisition of an Ultrahigh-Resolution Vacuum Ultraviolet Laser System

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program, the Department of Chemistry at the University of California in Davis will acquire an ultrahigh-resolution vacuum ultraviolet laser system. This equipment will enhance research in the following areas: a) high-resolution two-color IR-VUV and VUV-IR photoionization and pulsed-field-ionization-photoelectron studies of simple polyatomic molecules, including selected amino acids; b) studies of the dissociation dynamics of carbon disulfide and carbon dioxide and to determine product branching ratios; c) development of high resolution VUV microscopic techniques for characterization of carbon and silicon in nanomaterials; d) VUV resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of the dynamics and spectroscopy of radicals; e) studies on the surface structures of absorbed molecules and their activities; and f) analysis of airborne pollutants, aerosols, and biomolecules. The existence of this multi-user laser facility will not only induce future cooperative projects between these groups, but also provide a positive learning environment for graduate and postdoctoral students in the Chemistry Department to familiarize with various frontier research areas in physical, analytical, atmospheric and biophysical chemistry. A comprehensive ultrahigh-resolution VUV laser system such as this does not currently exist in the US or Canada. The application of this laser system represents a frontier in many important research fields, such as spectroscopy of ions, thermochemistry of reactive intermediates, mass spectrometry for analytical and atmospheric sampling, and microscopy for materials studies.