Raman spectroscopy by use of UltraViolet Radiation : A new useful way to avoid fluorescence

Fluorescence has been a persistent problem in Raman spectroscopy. To avoid the problems a way to seems to have opened now: Excitation with deeply ultraviolet light. “Fluorescence does not appear to exist if the exciting light has a wavelength shorter than 260 nm” [cit.. S. A. Asher]. Affordable pulsed deep-UV lasers have recently been introduced to the market by a company “Photon Systems" in California. So-called HeAg og NeCu hollow-cathode lasers during operation create a metal vapor mixed with an inactive rare gas by a process reminding of sputtering. The lasers emit quasi-continuous laser light in the deep UV-range, with wavelengths of 224 nm (for silver) and 248 nm (for copper). During operation they require little electrical power and no water cooling. New instrument needed. We apply for a dedicated UV Raman-spectrometer with quartz optics, UV grating and detectors, and the necessary helping utensils. One important new aspect of the method is to introduce optical fibers, so that the optics can be totally encapsulated to avoid any deep UV radiation damage to objects and persons in the neighbourhood. UV-Raman spectroscopy will have many future applications. We will try the technique in three limited, well-defined research fields with a high content of new and innovative ideas. Hence, we want a new laser to abate fluorescence.

We would like to use the new system in this way:
1) Characterisation of new waveguides by use of hollow microstructured crystal fibers. It ranges from analysis of Ge-nano-clusters embedded in silica-on-silicon planar waveguides to chemical and biological molecular identification. Samples will be prepared and investigated to find better methods to prepare silica materials with enhanced third order nonlinearity. Size and distribution of the nano-clusters are important parameters. In contrast to other methods, UV-Raman spectroscopy needs no specimen preparation and should be a non-destructive, efficient method to find the size distribution of even very small nano-clusters. The UV Raman will be tried using hollow micro-structured optical fibers. Such air-hole fibers should enable easy and safe UV spectroscopy. This entirely new concept will be tried as well as fibers designed such that the air holes are used both for light guiding and at the same time as pipettes for a chemical solution (like gasoline/methanol mixtures) that one wants to analyse (co-work with COM-center). 2) Characterisation of fluorescing crude oil mixtures to help easy production and less pollution. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highly intensive and characteristic Raman scatterers. Even small amounts (ppm to ppb scale or less) should be detectable (co-work with IVC-SEP-center).
3) Characterisation of biological and consumer samples, where fluorescence is a problem. Organic molecules, e.g. proteins, nucleic acids (DNA), hormones, phthalates and pigments in the household and other environments should exhibit Raman and resonance Raman spectra with a lot of information on structure and function if only the fluorescence could be avoided. We will try this by a study of insuline in living tissue (distribution, structure and other characterisations). Also we will start on the obvious project of cancer cell characterisation (a co-work with the QUP-center).
4) We are also studying pigments and objects from the
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

The intention is to set the UV Raman instrument up, and then carry out the subprojects 1) - 4) simultaneously.

The ph.d. project will have the complete set of subprojects as its objective, but parts of the work are to be done even without a ph.d.-salary.