Many of today's science and engineering students are pursuing careers in such new fields as superconductors, photonics, NMR imaging, and very-large-scale integrated circuitry. To understand these new technologies, students need to be well versed in the fundamental concepts of matter that are found in a physical chemistry course. With this in mind, Tennessee Technological University is modernizing the physical chemistry laboratory. This project implements a laser spectroscopy system consisting of an argon-pumped tunable dye laser, scanning double monochromater, and detection electronics. The experiments provide graphic demonstration of fundamental concepts in quantum chemistry, atomic and molecular structure, photochemistry, and spectroscopy. These instruments provide students with hands-on experience with this state-of-the-art instrumentation. The institution is matching the NSF grant with an equal amount of funds.
