This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Program will assist the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southern California to construct injection seeded optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) as sources of high-brightness, high-resolution tunable radiation. The timetable for this instrument construction project is as follows: Year 1: Purchase Nd:YAG laser. Purchase diode lasers and crystals. Purchase and install diagnostic electronics. Construct prototype assembly: 3-4 diodes, no doubling or mixing. Demonstrate SLM operation. Construct optoacoustic cell for absorption measurement. Year 2: Build second assembly similar to the one constructed in Year 1. Extend tuning range by frequency doubling and mixing. Extend tuning range by installing additional diodes. Integrate the above assembly into an experiment in the PIs' labs. Year 3: Optimize devices incorporating several diode lasers and doubling and mixing frequency extension techniques. Build injection seeded assemblies designed for specific projects in the PIs' laboratories. Integrate newly developed diode lasers into existing assemblies. A tunable infrared laser can provide important information about chemical reactivity. Its use may enable breakthroughs in our understanding of the properties of reactive and nonreactive of molecules.
