Professors Andrey F. Vilesov and Hanna Reisler of the University of Southern California are funded by the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities: Instrument Development (CRIF-ID) program to develop a pulsed, continuously tunable laser source for molecular spectroscopy in the mid-infrared (4-12 micrometer) region. The design is based on stimulated backward Raman scattering (SRS) in solid para-hydrogen at T = 4 K. The project is exploring solid para-hydrogen as a new medium for SRS generation and optimizing and extending its performance for laser generation. The mid-infrared spectral region allows access to characteristic vibrations of organic molecules such as carbonyl and cyano groups, as well as to C-C skeletal modes. The laser system is being tested in experiments ranging from spectroscopy and dynamics of free radicals in supersonic molecular beams to spectroscopy in helium droplets.
The vibrational modes accessible in the mid-infrared spectral region are routinely used in analytical and spectroscopic applications. The availability of a user-friendly, mid-infrared laser source will impact diverse research fields in the physical and chemical sciences and enable basic experiments that lead to advances in areas such as communications, chemical sensors and chemical reaction control.
