Daniel Maser, assistant professor of physics, has received a US$55,000 grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) for Undergraduate New Research Fellows (UNI). The grant will support his research using a broadband laser source (called an optical frequency comb) to accurately measure a set of rotational transitions in benzene, a common hydrocarbon and solvent. In this research project, Maser will apply his expertise in experimental optical physics to the field of physical chemistry.

The optical frequency comb is essentially a combination of one million single-frequency lasers-the "teeth" of the comb-each comb tooth corresponds to a different color. They are like rulers of light, quickly and accurately measuring accurate frequencies. Here, they will be used to simultaneously determine the position and intensity of the transition in the entire 1.65 µm benzene absorption band. In order to distinguish these features individually, a jet of benzene is sprayed into the vacuum chamber, where it expands and cools quickly, shrinking the transition features so that the laser can detect them.

With the support of ACS PRF, Maser and his students will assemble a vacuum system for measurement, construct a frequency comb spectrometer for detection, and stabilize the comb structure so that these individual rotation states can be accurately measured. The two-year grant provides funding for specialized hardware and supplies that will enable five University of Connecticut students to work on the project with Maser in the next few summers, as well as stipends for Maser and student researchers to attend academic conferences to showcase Results of funding.

The goal of ACS PRF is to support basic research in the petroleum field and train the next generation of engineers and scientists by supporting advanced science education. The grant for new undergraduate researchers helps to initiate research programs for early career science and engineering teachers in undergraduate research institutions.