New paper from Takahashi and colleagues showing the use of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy allows for rapid visualization of #microplastics incorporated in coral tissue and skeletons.
Just out: Diversification of the 10th core atom of 9-cyanopyronins expands the resonance Raman vibrational palette
Abstract: In the first paper in this series, we proposed the use of a set of colored LEGO blocks as “standard” samples for the evaluation of fluorescence avoidance and mitigation schemes in Raman spectroscopy, as well as for use to evaluate the instruments’ performance on dark samples. In the second paper we described the spectra obtained on the same blocks from ten different handheld Raman instruments. We found that the combination of a series of colored blocks (white, yellow, red, and blue), and successively darker tone blocks (white, gray, and black) do challenge these instruments and shed light on the ways that their manufacturers have optimized these instruments in specific areas and for different purposes. In this paper we extend the work using an advanced Raman data collection technique: A fast-repetition-rate, short-pulse, laser with a single-photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD) array detector capable of providing a time-sequence output, commonly known as a “time-gating” or “time-resolved” approach. The results are evaluated and compared to those in the first two papers. In addition, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra were also collected to confirm identifications of some of the blocks’ inorganic pigments, which were detected via their Raman spectra.
New from Applied Spectroscopy!
Evaluation of the Raman Spectra of LEGO Blocks and Fluorescence Avoidance Using Pulsed Laser Excitation and Time-Resolved Detection
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1177/00037028251400397
#SAS #Spectroscopy #Raman #Fluorescence #Avoidance #TimeResolved
This was fun! The material has a staggeringly large Stokes shift when in solution or thin spin-coated films, but not in bulk crystal phase. I got to calculate the crystal's Raman spectrum and analyze the contribution of intermolecular vibrational modes.
#geoubcsic Second-order Raman scattering of isotope-engineered hexagonal boron nitride: A probe into zone-edge phonons. Cuscó, R; Poirier, T; Edgar, JH. PHYSICAL REVIEW B
113:12 [2026] doi.org/10.1103/yq1x-tt5p
Analytical #Raman intensities are one of the notable new features of #ORCA 6.1 (MPI Kofo & FACCTs). Check the implementation paper by Frank Neese and Petra Pikulová.
doi.org/10.1063/5.03...
Manual on Raman simulations:
www.faccts.de/docs/orca/6....
#Spectroscopy #CompChem #QuantumChem
Time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy of sodium-pumping rhodopsin, KR2, by Prof. Peter Hildebrandt's group.
chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#OpenAccess
U1 Raman band as a signature of uranium interstitials in irradiated UO<sub>2</sub> www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135...
Abstract: This paper provides the first temporally resolved visualization of the formation and decay profiles of Thermally induced reflection of sound (THORS) barriers in ambient air, revealing the spatiotemporal characteristics of these novel acoustic barriers. In this work, a 532 nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser coupled with an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) is used to Raman image N2 in ambient air, thereby allowing for the visualization of the spatial dynamics of the air density variations at these THORS barriers. Studies were conducted at various ambient temperatures and with air turbulence across the beam path revealing no change in barrier size or shape under typical environmental disturbance conditions. Raman images of a barrier formed by a repetitively pulsed CO laser reveal an abrupt barrier density change between the optically depleted region and the surrounding air, with the slope of the imaged barrier density increasing rapidly during the first 20 ms of barrier formation, indicative of the predicted increase in barrier abruptness associated with enhanced THORS efficiency. As seen in previous temporal studies of THORS barrier efficiencies, these images reveal that multiple laser pulses at an optimized optical frequency are capable of achieving maximum continuous suppression efficiencies through molecular depletion in the optically excited region. These imaging studies revealed that the maximum barrier efficiency required a minimum of eight laser pulses to achieve the desired barrier density change and depletion, agreeing with previous temporal studies that showed in maximum suppression efficiency after 16 ms with one ms excitation laser pulses. Furthermore, visualization of the barrier size revealed that thermal redistribution of the photothermally excited molecules resulted in a THORS barrier approximately 50% larger than the excitation beam width and that this barrier remains constant for as long as 15 ms after the final laser pulse and at laser powers between 50 and 250 W.
New from Applied Spectroscopy!
Spatiotemporal Visualization of the Formation and Decay of Thermally Induced Optical Reflection of Sound (THORS) Barriers in Ambient Air
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1177/00037028251413279
#SAS #Spectroscopy #Raman #THORS #N2
An Editors' Pick via #OPG_JOSA_B: Optimal pump intensity for quantum-enhanced stimulated Raman scattering microscopy https://bit.ly/4vcdV8S #RamanScattering #QuantumImaging 💡⚛️
Shelves in the Natural History Museum archives with preserved jars of fish.
Researchers used spatially offset Raman spectroscopy to analyze Charles Darwin’s specimen jars without opening them, identifying preservation fluids and distinguishing container types. 🧪💡⚛️
optics.org/news/raman-spectroscopy-...
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Detection of Bacterial Biological Warfare Agents: A Review www.chinesechemsoc.org/doi/10.31635...
#chemistry #openaccess #science
🔍 Join this webinar exploring Raman spectroscopy, from fundamental principles to advanced, practical solutions used in research and industry.
Verena Mackowiak, Head of Spectroscopy at Thorlabs, Munich, Germany
https://bit.ly/4c0Lqm1
A new tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy platform enables label-free identification of subtle structural differences in oligosaccharides and real-time monitoring of glycan synthesis. doi.org/hbtjp4
PhD defence: Ashish Ahlawat
Using transcriptomics + Raman spectroscopy, fungi grown on cellulose show decomposition strategies form a continuum—not strict white vs brown rot. Nitrogen availability shapes responses.
🔗 www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publicat...
Photo: Annabel, Wikimedia Commons
Baylor Anth's own Muthoni Thuku presented her poster on "Forensic analysis of hacksaw paint transfer in dismemberment" at the Texas Academy of Science. Her work explores potential of Raman Spectroscopy in tool mark analysis. Well done Muthoni!
Domain-Level Classification of Archaea and Bacteria Using AI-Assisted Single-Cell Raman Spectroscopy
#microbiology #archaea #bacteria #spectroscopy #MicroSky
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Lasers, robots, action: MIT workshop explores Raman spectroscopy news.mit.edu/2026/lasers-...
Participants learn how laser “fingerprinting” can help identify materials in fields ranging from law enforcement to art restoration.
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and his uncle C. V. Raman form a rare Nobel legacy in one family.
Raman won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the Raman Effect, and Chandrasekhar followed decades later with the 1983 Nobel Prize for his profound work on the structure and evolution of stars.
New article online: Super-broadband stimulated Raman scattering spectroscopy and imaging.
go.nature.com/3PrLjbk
Benzene was one of the first substances analyzed. Raman's clear demonstration and detailed explanation of the scattering phenomenon earned him sole recognition for the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics, making him the first Indian to receive a Nobel Prize in Science.
www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physi...
Early experiments employed glass photographic plates to capture spectra, requiring long exposure times ranging from several hours to nearly 200 hours.
The challenges of observing the Raman Effect were significant. Before the advent of lasers, the brightest available light sources were sunlight and quartz mercury arc lamps. These had to be filtered to specific wavelengths, primarily in the green region.
Working with his student K.S. Krishnan using a self-designed spectrograph, Raman observed that when monochromatic light passed through a transparent medium, a small portion of the scattered light underwent a change in wavelength.
On February 1928, Raman made the discovery that would transform physics and spectroscopy.
In 1926, he founded the Indian Journal of Physics, providing a platform for Indian scientists to share their work with the scientific community. He began a systematic investigation into light scattering phenomena, laying the groundwork for the discovery that would earn him worldwide recognition.
However, Raman discovered the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), an institution that would become central to his research. At the IACS, he conducted pioneering experiments in acoustics and optics during his free time.
Raman's early career took an unconventional path. In 1907, he joined the Indian Finance Service in Calcutta (now Kolkata) as an Assistant Accountant General. At this time, opportunities for scientific research in British India were limited.
Raman was born in India, into a Tamil Brahmin family. Remarkably, he completed his Master of Arts degree by age 18 in January 1907, achieving the highest honors of his time.