This project is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry and in the subfield of nonlinear spectroscopy. During the tenure of this three-year continuing grant, Professor Wright and his students will investigate the utility of non-degenerate multi-wave mixing spectroscopies for new mode-selective and component-selective analyses. Mode selection is achieved by using multiple lasers to enhance spectroscopic transitions of molecules that are coupled to fixed vibrational resonances. Spectral line narrowing and component selection results from enhancing spectroscopic transitions of molecules that are coupled to fixed electronic resonances. This research extends Professor Wright's previous four-wave mixing investigations into the infrared, including the fingerprint region, where selective spectral enhancement of specific conformers will be explored. The feasibility of six-wave mixing techniques that have potential for the selective enhancement of specific Raman transitions will also be investigated. %%% This research lays the groundwork for the development of new analytical spectroscopic probes for complex chemical and biological systems.
