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Albert Stolow
Phone: 613-993-7388
Fax: 613-991-3437
Email: Albert.Stolow@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Ultrafast Molecular Dynamics
Time Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy (TRPES)
Involves the use of broadly tunable femtosecond laser systems to study molecular dynamics in real time as an initially prepared state, or set of states, evolves towards a final set of products. The typical timescale of such dynamical evolution in molecules occurs on the order of tens to hundreds of femtoseconds (1 femtosecond = 10-15 seconds). Using 'ultrafast' laser pulses that are similar in temporal duration to these processes allows us to follow dynamical processes in molecules as they happen.
Time-Resolved Concidence Imaging Spectroscopy
Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy is a powerful tool for investigating a broad range of photochemical and photophysical problems. In some cases, however, a measurement of the photoelectron spectrum alone is not enough to obtain a full understanding of the photochemical reaction. Time-resolved photoelectron-photoion coincidence imaging spectroscopy (CIS) is a recently developed technique that provides an unprecedented level of detail.
Condensed Phased Dynamics: Exploring the unzipping of DNA on a sub-nano second time scale
Ever since the discovery of the structure of DNA, the dynamics of the DNA double helix has attracted many researchers and phenomena like energy transport, conformational dynamics and thermal fluctuations inside the double helix are still under investigation by leading scientists. One aspect of this is to predict the melting temperature of a given DNA sequence - a problem that is still unresolved. Numerous experimental and theoretical studies addressed this problem and several empirical formulas to calculate melting temperatures have been reported, but an accurate value for the melting temperature can still only be determined by time consuming measurements. Knowing the melting temperature of a specific DNA sequence is key to several molecular biology techniques like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), where specific regions of DNA are amplified for use in medical diagnostics and a number of basic research areas in biology and medicine. A detailed understanding of the un-zipping of DNA can revolutionize those techniques. The understanding of the configurational changes of nucleic acids is also a key step if one wishes to control cellular processes such as transcription or translation.
