Preliminary Observations of Resonance Enhanced Raman Scattering in Liquid Benzene
Document ID: 190
Chadwick, Christopher Todd1
Hallen, Hans D.1
Willitsford, Adam H.2
Philbrick, C. Russell2
1 North Carolina State University, Department of Physics, Raleigh, NC, U.S.A.
2 The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Electrical Engineering, University Park, PA, U.S.A.
Abstract
Raman scattering has been intensely investigated since its discovery in 1928 by C.V. Raman. This discovery was so profound and useful to the advancement of science Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize for his efforts in optical scattering in 1930. Raman scattering is a process by which light scatters from a molecule at a different wavelength or energy than that which excited the molecule. The difference in wavelength can be accounted for by the vibrational or rotational transitions of the molecule. Because the vibrational and rotational levels are unique to each molecule, Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for locating, identifying and quantifying unknown chemical or biological agents. Figure 1 exhibits a typical Raman line for diamond.