Scott Reid of Marquette University is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to investigate (i) the vibrational and unimolecular reaction dynamics of molecular free radicals at chemically significant energies and (ii) the excited electronic state dynamics of prototypical organic free radicals, with a focus on competition between multiple photochemical pathways. Radiation sources based on seeded optical parametric oscillators will be developed in concert with a variety of spectroscopic and time-resolved methodologies, including nonlinear spectroscopies based on laser-induced gratings (e.g., degenerate four-wave mixing) and new linear spectroscopies (e.g., cavity ring-down spectroscopy). The education phase of this CAREER award involves (i) undergraduate curriculum development, (ii) initiatives for promoting research opportunities for undergraduates and (iii) implementation of novel classroom assessment methodologies.
