Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Spectroscopy - the study of the interaction of matter with light - is one of the most powerful tools available to study the finest details of atoms and molecules. It also reveals information about the largest and most distant objects in the universe. This proposal focuses on the spectroscopy of small molecules in the gas phase, using laser light (University of New Brunswick) and synchrotron light (Canadian Light Source, CLS). The data provide insight into the chemical composition of the universe by studying molecules known to exist in stellar atmospheres, in comets, in nebulae and in the interstellar medium. We will also investigate species that have strong potential to be found in these environments. My lab at UNB is equipped with state-of-the-art lasers to probe species of interest, and a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer. We have developed innovative ways to create the unusual molecules found in space using fast-moving molecular jets, chemical reactions, ovens to vaporize metals, and electrical discharges. The molecules are short-lived and are produced in low abundance, so we have devised novel ways to probe them with extreme sensitivity. My group also runs experiments at the CLS, where far-infrared synchrotron light is used to collect spectra from targeted molecules 60 times faster than they could be collected from a conventional lamp. My work will have an impact on the search for exoplanets around small, cooler stars. Their detection relies on carefully monitoring the spectrum of the star's atmosphere, which contains the molecule iron hydride (FeH). We will search for new spectra of FeH and will measure the changes in the spectrum induced by magnetic fields, since many cool stars have strong fields. Exoplanets that are found to be in the `habitable zone' in which liquid water can be found will be tagged for further study by the James Webb Space Telescope, which will look for signs of life in the exoplanet's atmosphere. My work at the CLS will focus on ring-shaped molecules like furan, pyrazole and imidazole that have recently attracted attention due to the discovery of a similar species, benzonitrile, in the interstellar medium. I will probe systems of similar structure to provide astronomers with base data to search for these molecules in space. I will also investigate molecules that are `natural laboratories' for studying fundamental physics, so that subtle but important features of particles, like the electron's permanent dipole moment, can be measured at high precision. Molecules we study like YbOH are used worldwide as `natural laboratories' for such measurements, and our spectra of such species provide the necessary input for the particle physicists to fully exploit their properties. My expertise in spectroscopy and molecular physics will provide critical guidance regarding the choice of molecules, and on how to use them to best advantage.