The vibrationless A<--X transition of the jet-cooled deuterated methyl peroxy radical CD3O2 by cavity ringdown spectroscopy

The nearly rotationally resolved spectrum of the A (2)A(')<--X (2)A(") 0(0)(0) transition of perdeutero methyl peroxy near 1.35 microm has been studied via pulsed cavity ringdown spectroscopy. Albeit, this is a weak transition, it is possible to observe the spectrum under jet-cooled conditions (approximately 15 K) by combining a source of narrow-bandwidth radiation (approximately 250 MHz) with a supersonic slit-jet expansion incorporating an electric discharge. The near infrared radiation was obtained by using stimulated Raman scattering and a pulsed, nearly Fourier-transform-limited Ti:sapphire amplifier seeded by a scanable cw Ti:sapphire ring laser. The experimental spectrum has been fitted using a model Hamiltonian that includes the rigid body rotation of an asymmetric top and the spin-rotation interaction. An excellent quality fit was obtained resulting in the determination of 15 molecular parameters characterizing the A and X states. Other results reported for CD(3)O(2) include an estimate of the radical concentration and the vibronic transition dipole from the observed absorption intensities. Details about the spectral linewidths are also discussed.     

High-resolution IR cavity ring-down spectroscopy of jet-cooled free radicals and other species

Initial spectral results are reported from a newly constructed cavity ringdown spectrometer. The apparatus incorporates a slit-jet expansion, with or without a discharge, to produce cold sample molecules. High spectral resolution in both the near- and mid-IR is obtained by using stimulated Raman scattering of the pulsed amplified output of a cw Ti:Sa ring laser. Molecular spectra presented include the electronic near-IR transitions a (1)Delta(g)(-)<-- X (3)Sigma(g)(-) of O(2) and B (3)Pi(g)<-- A (3)Sigma(u)(+) of metastable N(2) and vibrational overtones of H(2)O (polyad 2) and the OH radical. Fundamental vibrational transitions of CH(3) (nu(3)) in the mid-IR are also observed. This apparatus has demonstrated the potential for obtaining high-resolution spectra of both reactive and non-reactive species throughout the entire IR region.     

Ultraviolet laser-induced fluorescence detection strategies in capillary electrophoresis: determination of naphthalene sulphonates in river water

Various UV-laser-induced fluorescence detection strategies for capillary electrophoresis (CE) are compared, i.e. two UV-laser systems (a pulsed laser providing up to 25 mW of tunable emission, applied at 280, 290 and 325 nm, and a continuous wave (cw) laser providing up to 100 mW of 257 nm emission) and different methods to collect the fluorescence emission signal and to reduce the background. Attention is focused on the determination of amino- and hydroxy-substituted naphthalene sulphonates (NS) in river water; these analytes exhibit native fluorescence upon UV excitation. Optimum results were obtained by applying only a minor portion of the available (average) laser powers, viz. 0.7 mW at 280 nm for the pulsed laser, and 5 mW for the cw laser. For emission collection, the most favourable results were obtained with a mirror-based microscope objective, which facilitates efficient spatial filtering and does not produce impurity fluorescence upon UV-laser irradiation. For standard solutions, the cw laser gave around 20-fold better detection limits (10⁻⁹–10⁻¹⁰ M) than the pulsed laser. For river water, excitation of interferences (presumably humic acids, which exhibit native fluorescence) could be much better suppressed if the pulsed laser was used with selective excitation at 280 nm. Therefore, for real-sample analysis the latter combination is to be preferred. The set-up was used for the identification and quantification (at the 1–35 μg l⁻¹ level) of NS in a river Elbe sample.     

COMPARISON OF FREE RADICALS PRODUCED BY LASER AND ULTRASOUND ABLATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR TISSUE

Abstract— We have used the method of spin trapping and EPR to study the nature of the free radicals produced by laser photoreaction of cardiovascular tissue. The results obtained with argon-ion (cw) and excimer (pulsed) lasers have been compared with radicals produced by ultrasonic disruption of the tissue samples. These comparative studies provide an understanding of the mechanism by which laser light energy effects photoablation of cardiovascular tissue in the pulsed vs cw mode of operation.     

Laser spectroscopy of a halocarbocation in the gas phase: CH2I+

We report the first gas-phase observation of the electronic spectrum of a simple halocarbocation, CH2I+. The ion was generated rotationally cold (Trot approximately 20 K) using pulsed discharge methods and was detected via laser spectroscopy. The identity of the spectral carrier was confirmed by modeling the rotational contour observed in the excitation spectra and by comparison of ground state vibrational frequencies determined by single vibronic level emission spectroscopy with Density Functional Theory (DFT) predictions. The transition was assigned as 3A1 <-- X1A1. This initial detection of the electronic spectrum of a halocarbocation in the gas phase should open new avenues for study of the structure and reactivity of these important ions.     

Li2 Autler-Townes分裂的实验观察

用光学-光学双共振激光光谱研究了 7Li2A 1Σ+u态的Autler-Townes (A-T) 分裂.一个强的耦合场 (泵浦激光)激发 7Li2A 1Σ+u v′, J′← X 1Σ+g v″, J″跃迁,诱发A 1Σ+u v′, J′能级和 X 1Σ+gv″, J″能级的A-T分裂.另一个探测激光从A 1Σ+u v′,J′能级进一步激发到4 1Σ+g态.扫描探测激光,监测4 1Σ+g态碰撞诱导紫色荧光,从而探测A 1Σ+u v′, J′能级的A-T分裂.当耦合场频率偏离共振时,激发光谱线出现双重分裂.在该实验条件下,分裂大小和泵浦激光频率偏离共振频率的失谐量成正比. 研究了A-T分裂的两条线的相对强度与泵浦、探测光的强度及缓冲气体压力的关系.     

Vibronic spectroscopy of the peroxyacetyl radical in the near IR

The A 2A'<--X 2A" electronic transition of the peroxyacetyl radical (PA) is observed employing NIR/VUV ion enhancement, supersonic jet spectroscopy. Rotational envelope simulations yield a rotational temperature for ground state PA of ca. 55 K. Ab initio calculations of transition energies and vibrational frequencies for the A<--X transition assist in the assignment of the observed spectrum. A number of the vibrational modes of the A state are assigned to observed transitions (the O-O stretch 2(1), the COO bend 5(1), and the CCOO backbone bend 6(1)). The calculations and mass spectra suggest that the ground state of the PA ion is repulsive. An increase in rotational linewidth of the overtone of the O-O stretch (2(1)) is observed and discussed in terms of A state dynamics. The O-O stretch anharmonicity is estimated to be 13.35 cm(-1).     

Experimental study of the NaK 3 3Pi double minimum state

We have used the Doppler-free, perturbation-facilitated optical-optical double-resonance technique to investigate the vibrational, rotational, and hyperfine structure of the 3 (3)Pi double minimum state of NaK. Since this electronic state arises from an avoided crossing with the nearby 4 (3)Pi state, we observe striking patterns in the data that provide a sensitive probe of the electronic wave function in the various regions of the double well potential. A single-mode cw dye laser excites 2(A) (1)Sigma(+)(v(A),J) approximately 1(b) (3)Pi(Omega=0)(v(b),J) mixed singlet-triplet "window" levels from thermally populated rovibrational ground state levels, 1(X) (1)Sigma(+)(v(X),J+/-1). Further excitation by a single-mode cw Ti:sapphire laser selects various 3 (3)Pi(0)(v(Pi),J(Pi)) rovibrational levels, which are detected by observing direct 3 (3)Pi(0)-->1(a) (3)Sigma(+) fluorescence in the green spectral region. Using the inverse perturbation approximation method, we have determined a 3 (3)Pi(0) potential curve that reproduces the measured energies to approximately 0.24 cm(-1). In addition, the hyperfine and spin-orbit constants, b(F) and A(v), have been determined for each region of the potential curve.     

A PORPHYRIN-DNA EXCIPLEX: RESONANCE RAMAN SPECTRA OF ELECTRONICALLY EXCITED Cu(TMpy-P4) BOUND TO POLY(dA-dT)-POLY(dA-dT)

The resonance Raman spectra of water-soluble porphyrins, Cu(TMpy-P4) and Ni(TMpy-P4), and their mixtures with DNA, Poly(dG-dC).Poly(dG-dC), and Poly(dA-dT).Poly(dA-dT) were measured using 426 nm pulsed laser excitation (and 556 nm for some applications). At high laser power, the solution of Cu(TMpy-P4) mixed with DNA or Poly(dA-dT).Poly(dA-dT) exhibits new bands at 1550 and 1349 cm-1 that are not observed for Cu(TMpy-P4) alone or for Cu(TMpy-P4) mixed with Poly(dG-dC).Poly(dG-dC). These extra bands do not appear when the resonance Raman spectra are measured by a cw laser or by a pulsed laser with low power. Similar mixtures of M(TMpy-P4) (where M = Ni, Zn, Co, Mn, and H2) with these nucleic acids exhibit no such bands even by high power pulsed laser excitation. We attribute the new resonance Raman bands to an electronically excited Cu(TMpy-P4), stabilized by forming an exciplex with the A-T site of the nucleic acid. The minimum lifetime value of such an exciplex was estimated to be on the order of 10 ps.     

Numerical simulation of nonadiabatic electron excitation in the strong field regime. 2. Linear polyene cations

Time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory has been used to study the electronic optical response of a series of linear polyene cations (+1 and +2) in strong laser fields. The interaction of ethylene, butadiene, and hexatriene, with pulsed and CW fields corresponding to 8.75 x 10(13) W/cm(2) and 760 nm, have been calculated using the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Nonadiabatic processes including nonlinear response of the dipole moment to the field and non-resonant energy deposition into excited states were more pronounced for the monocations in comparison with dications. For a given charge state and geometry, the nonadiabatic effects in the charge distribution and instantaneous dipole increased with the length of the polyene. For pulsed fields, the instantaneous dipole continued to oscillate after the field returned to zero and corresponded to a non-resonant electronic excitation involving primarily the lowest electronic transition. For a given molecule and fixed charge state, the degree of nonadiabatic coupling and excitation was greater for geometries with lower excitation energies.     

Combined optoacoustic/ultrasound system for tomographic absorption measurements: possibilities and limitations

In this paper, we present the OPUS (optoacoustic plus ultrasound) system, which is a combination of a wavelength-tunable pulsed optical parametrical oscillator (OPO) laser with a commercial ultrasound (US) scanner. Optoacoustic (OA) or, synonymously, photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a spectroscopic technique to measure optical absorption in semitransparent solids and liquids. The measured signal is an acoustical pressure wave, which represents the absorption of pulsed optical radiation. By temporally and spatially resolved detection of the pressure wave on the sample surface, a 2D or even 3D image of the distribution of the optical absorption in the sample can be generated. In recent years, OA tomography has found increasing application in medical imaging. Most of these applications are based on qualitative OA imaging. The reported system is intended primarily for breast cancer detection, in which the optoacoustic imaging modality offers additional information to the ultrasound image. Consequently, the system is developed in a way that the OA imaging mode can be installed without major changes to the US instrument. The capabilities of the OPUS system for the quantitative analysis of absorber concentrations in tissue models are exploited.     

Laser spectroscopy on the A0-X1Σ transition of T1I

The first excited electronic state of TII was investigated by laser excitation and laser fluorescence spectroscopy. Almost completely resolved rotational fine structure was observed with the help of a collimated molecular beam and a single-mode cw dye laser. From the derived Dunham parameters Y_lk a RKR potential for the excited state is calculated. The unusual shape of the potential energy curve can be understood as originating from an avoided crossing of the ionic ground-state potential and a non-bonding covalent state of the atomic asymptote (6p) ²P_1/2(TI)+(5p)^{5 2}P_3/2(I).     

Two-laser studies of E → V energy transfer reactions involving CO and electronically excited I2, ICl and NO2

The relaxation of electronically excited I₂, ICl and NO₂ by CO has been investigated using a dye laser for electronic excitation (in the 590 nm region) and a cw CO laser for measuring the extent of CO product vibrational excitation. The CO molecules formed in these quenching reactions were found to carry very small fractions of electronic energies, in sharp contrast to the results observed in other E → V transfer reactions involving atomic species which carry comparable amounts of electronic energies.     

Interferences in and lifetime measurement of a resonance electronic Raman effect using tunable pulsed laser techniques

The excitation profile for the intensity of electronic Raman transitions of terbium aluminum garnet (TbAlG) in the spectral range of 483.0–680.0 nm is reported. The electronic Raman transitions take place between the crystal field levels of the split ⁷F₆ ground manifold of TbAlG with shifts of 73 cm^?1 and 83 cm^?1 and the electronic Raman process is induced with tunable pulsed and fixed wavelength cw lasers. The tunability of the former was employed to obtain detailed information of the behaviour of the Raman intensity if the wavelength of the exciting source is tuned throughout the region of 483.0–490.0 nm where ⁵Da₄ ← ⁷F₆ absorptions of TbAlG occur and the data reveal the occurrence of interference effects. We also report measurements of the shape of the pulse — due to resonance enhanced electronic Raman scattered light — in real time. These studies reveal that the lifetime of the resonating state (which is responsible for the enhancement of the Raman intensity) as determined from the tailing end of the said pulse is within experimental error equal to the lifetime τ = 33.5 ± 1 μs of this state measured in a direct way from the intensity decay of an appropriate fluorescence transition of TbAlG.     

Photoacoustic spectrometry for trace gas analysis and leak detection using different cell geometries

A photoacoustic (PA) spectrometer with high selectivity and sensitivity has been developed for trace gas analysis and for the detection of gas leak at part per trillion by volume (pptV) level. This PA system comprises of a resonant photoacoustic cell, a pulsed line tunable CO₂ laser as an excitation source and a sensitive electret microphone as a photoacoustic detector with an option to trigger the safety alarm system for early warning of gas leaks. In this work, three resonant PA cells with various geometries have been developed at our laboratory for the detection of photoacoustic signal using pulsed laser system and their comparative performance have been studied. As a special application of this PA system, the detection of sulfur hexa fluoride (SF₆) gas using these three cells has been carried out for optimizing the sensitivity. Besides this, our PA system can very well be applied for pollution monitoring and detection of hazardous gases in a noisy environment.     

Pulsed Laser Excited Photoacoustic Effect for Disease Diagnosis and Therapy

Pulsed laser can excite light absorber to generate photoacoustic (PA) effect, that is, when the absorber is irradiated with pulsed laser, the absorbed light energy is converted into local heat to cause rapid thermoelastic expansion and generate acoustic wave. The generated PA signal has been widely employed for the diagnosis of many diseases with superb contrast, high penetrability and sensitivity. In addition, with the increase of pulsed laser energy, the resulting PA shockwave and cavitation can promote efficient drug release at lesion sites to potentiate the resulting therapeutic efficacy. Furthermore, the PA shockwave/cavitation can mechanically inhibit disease and produce reactive species. In this Concept article, the principle and research status of pulsed laser excited disease theranostics are briefly summarized, extra suggestions are proposed to inspire extensive PA probes and photodynamic materials as well as novel methodologies.     

二腈基衍生物的合成及其光限幅性质

设计并合成了一系列含不同末端给电子基团及共轭链长度的1,1-二腈基-2,2-二苯基乙烯类化合物(D1-D7),用核磁共振氢谱(1H NMR)、核磁共振碳谱(13C NMR)和高分辨质谱(HRMS)对分子结构进行了表征.选用N,N-二甲基甲酰胺(DMF)为溶剂,测定了它们的线性光物理性质,用光漂白法研究了它们的光稳定性,用热失重法测试了它们的热稳定性.研究了这7个化合物针对800 nm脉冲激光(掺钛蓝宝石激光器,脉冲宽度~130 fs,重复频率1000 Hz)的光限幅性质.结果表明:以二烷基氨基为给电子基团的4个化合物(D4-D7)对800 nm的飞秒脉冲激光均具有显著的光限幅性能,限幅机制为双光子吸收(2PA),而端基给电子能力较弱、共轭链长较短的D1-D3光限幅效果并不明显.此外,D4-D7都具有较好的热稳定性和光稳定性.而且,该系列化合物的双光子吸收截面、光稳定性和热稳定性都具有随分子结构中给电子基团增强或共轭链增长而增大或提高的趋势.D7具有最好的综合性能,是一个有应用潜力的光限幅材料.     

Generation and detection of the peroxyacetyl radical in the pyrolysis of peroxyacetyl nitrate in a supersonic expansion

The peroxyacetyl radical (PA, CH3C(O)OO) is generated by flash pyrolysis of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN, CH3C(O)OONO2) in a supersonic jet. The 0(0)(0) A2A' <-- X2A' electronic transition for PA, at ca. 5582 cm(-1), is detected in a supersonically cooled sample by time-of-flight mass spectroscopy in the CH3CO mass channel. Rotational envelope simulation results find that the rotational temperature for PA in its ground electronic and vibrational state is ca. 55 K. At ca. 330 degrees C, the thermal decomposition of PAN by flash pyrolysis in a heated nozzle with supersonic expansion is mainly by formation of PA and NO2. The maximum yield of PA is obtained at this temperature. At higher temperatures (300-550 degrees C), an intense signal in the CH2CO+ mass channel is observed, generated by the decomposition of PA.     

Photo-acoustic detection on electronic quenching rate constants of NO excited states

The electronic quenching rate constants of NO A(2)Σ (υ'=0, 1), E(2)Σ (υ'=2, 3, 4) and F(2)Δ (υ'=1, 2, 3) states by gas air are reported. The experiments were carried out by measuring the total fluorescence intensity of A(2)Σ (υ'=0, 1)→X(2)Π (υ″) transition at various air pressures. It gives the Stern-Volmer plots. The quenching rate constants of A(2)Σ (υ'=0, 1) states are obtained from the slope of Stern-Volmer plots and the known radiative lifetime. Based on the primary results of the work, we have measured the quenching rate constants of high excited E(2)Σ (υ'=2, 3, 4), F(2)Δ (υ'=1, 2, 3) states for the first time with the technique of photo-acoustic (PA) spectroscopy. It is shown that the electronic quenching rate constants of NO E (υ') and F (υ') states are in the order of 10(-10)cm(3)/molecules. They are much larger than those of A(2)Σ (υ') state, whose rate constants are in the order of 10(-13)cm(3)/molecules. For E (υ') and F (υ') states, it is also found that the quenching rate constants increase with the vibrational energy levels. Similar result has been reported also for A(2)Σ (υ'≥2) states in existing literatures. The agreement indicates the potential use of PA spectroscopy for measuring the electronic quenching rate.     

Relation between two-photon absorption and dipolar properties in a series of fluorenyl-based chromophores with electron donating or electron withdrawing substituents

We investigate two-photon absorption (2PA) in a series of fluorenyl-based 9,9-diethyl-2-ethynyl-7-((4-R-phenyl)ethynyl)-9,9a-dihydro-4aH-fluorene chromophores with R being various electron donating (ED) and electron withdrawing (EW) groups. We use wavelength-tunable femtosecond laser pulses to measure the 2PA cross sections in the lowest dipole-allowed transition and show that the substituents with stronger ED or EW character enhance the peak 2PA cross section (up to σ(2) ～ 60-80 GM) while the neutral substituents lead to smaller cross sections, σ(2) < 10 GM. We apply two-level approximation to establish a quantitative relation between the 2PA in the pure electronic transition (0-0) and the corresponding change of the permanent electric dipole moment upon the excitation (Δμ). This relation is elucidated by comparing Δμ values obtained from the 2PA measurements with quantum-chemical calculations and with measurements of solvatochromic shifts in a series of solvents. We show that the calculated Δμ correlate well with the values obtained from the 2PA spectroscopy. The Δμ values obtained from the solvatochromic shifts agree well with the above two methods for the chromophores with neutral or weak EW or ED substituents. On the other hand, stronger EW or ED end groups give much larger Stokes shifts, which lead to an overestimation of the Δμ values. We tentatively attribute this effect to the excitation-induced electronic density change occurring predominantly at the substituent side of the molecule, which causes the effective point dipole associated with the Δμ to interact more strongly with the surrounding solvent.