My brain hurts and that's a good thing! Week one of the RET program for teachers and I have learned I have a lot to learn. The science happening at the JILA lab on the CU Boulder campus is simply mind blowing. Researchers who wonder the halls here now and in the past have won the Nobel Prize in Physics, do revolutionary biotechnology research and are pioneers in aerospace engineering and space exploration. The group I am working with love light and matter. I understand about 30% of it all. Not great, but it is an exercise in stretching brain cells beyond all expectations. The laser process I see every day is called COLTRIMS (Cold Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy) and studies stuff that moves quickly. You need a laser that moves more quickly to get a snapshot of sorts of what is happening.
We are doing SPECTROSCOPY. We use the laser to get detailed information on all kinds of stuff by studying the way it absorbs, delays and emits light. We have had amazing discussions about Forced Damped Oscillation, dipoles, resonance, and molecular fields. I have learned that with absurd precision we (I use "we" liberally) find shape and size of molecules.
I also had a wonderful chance to be trained on the Spectrometer. We measured absorption rates on filters and a DNA sample.
A whole lot of science in just a little bit of time!!
Here is a run-down of the weeks activities:
Tour of labs: (COLTRIMS)Acetone and tetrazene analysis via high harmonics generated EUV
Lab next door: Nano-particles of copper
Lab down the hall: Microscopy of materials
In-depth explanation of COLTRIMS laser and each step!
We are looking at molecular dynamics-studying something that moves quickly, goes faster! The high harmonics laser is split into two-1st pulse does the experiment, 2nd pulse at nearly the same time measures the experiment. Laser is measuring mass!!
I got trained on the Spectrophotometer and ran several experiments with filters used by COLTRIMS to determine exact Absorption rate-this helps researchers get better data. We also put 2 DNA samples through the spectrometer to determine absorption rate at different wavelengths.
My 3 projects for summer RET program
1)Spin coat DNA for another lab measuring different pieces of the sample
2)Using COLTRIMS laser with 5th harmonics to look at an organic with chlorine-make it a radical by blowing off the chlorine
3)Design and construct Interferometer (Sagnac) for 2D
We are doing SPECTROSCOPY. We use the laser to get detailed information on all kinds of stuff by studying the way it absorbs, delays and emits light. We have had amazing discussions about Forced Damped Oscillation, dipoles, resonance, and molecular fields. I have learned that with absurd precision we (I use "we" liberally) find shape and size of molecules.
I also had a wonderful chance to be trained on the Spectrometer. We measured absorption rates on filters and a DNA sample.
A whole lot of science in just a little bit of time!!
Here is a run-down of the weeks activities:
Tour of labs: (COLTRIMS)Acetone and tetrazene analysis via high harmonics generated EUV
Lab next door: Nano-particles of copper
Lab down the hall: Microscopy of materials
In-depth explanation of COLTRIMS laser and each step!
We are looking at molecular dynamics-studying something that moves quickly, goes faster! The high harmonics laser is split into two-1st pulse does the experiment, 2nd pulse at nearly the same time measures the experiment. Laser is measuring mass!!
I got trained on the Spectrophotometer and ran several experiments with filters used by COLTRIMS to determine exact Absorption rate-this helps researchers get better data. We also put 2 DNA samples through the spectrometer to determine absorption rate at different wavelengths.
My 3 projects for summer RET program
1)Spin coat DNA for another lab measuring different pieces of the sample
2)Using COLTRIMS laser with 5th harmonics to look at an organic with chlorine-make it a radical by blowing off the chlorine
3)Design and construct Interferometer (Sagnac) for 2D