This presentation will focus on our recent efforts to employ ultrashort, ultraintense pulses as a means to control molecules in the gas and condensed phase at atmospheric pressure. In the gas phase, our efforts have focused on investigating laser filamentation as a means to produce near single cycle pulses to impulsively excite both vibrational and rotational Raman. This has been use to detect signatures at standoff distances. In the condensed phase, we have investigated the interaction of such laser pulses with molecular films ranging in size up to proteins. Molecules are transferred into the gas phase intact while maintaining condensed phase structure for protein molecules where denaturation and loss of tertiary structure often occurs in thee electrospray ionization process. The method of femtosecond laser vaporization serves as a useful means to deliver biomolecules into the gas phase for mass spectrometry.

Molecules in strong fields: Laser filaments and preserving protein structure at 10^13 watts/cm^2

245th National Meeting (2013)

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