Randy Booker

Dr. Booker's research is in the field of molecular physics. Molecules can react to electromagnetic radiation in several different ways. The absorption of infrared radiation causes molecules to vibrate at discrete frequencies whereas the absorption of microwave and millimeter-wave radiation causes molecules to rotate at other discrete frequencies. Microwave investigations are conducted on two types of molecules: 1) those that are commonly found in the Earth's atmosphere (including atmospheric pollutants) and 2) those that are observed to play a central role in the large molecular clouds in the interstellar medium where stars are formed.

The rotational spectra collected by microwave spectroscopy are used to refine our knowledge of the structure and the dynamical motion of different molecular species. Collaboration is done with researchers at Duke University on the quantum mechanics of several different interactions between rotational and vibrational motions observed in molecules. Also, the production and detection of broadband rotational spectra are actively pursued.

Recent studies have involved detecting and assigning the rotational spectra of several excited vibrational states of nitric acid, which is an important constituent of acid rain. These spectra have been used to refine our knowledge of the rotational constants of nitric acid and to accurately map out the dense, complex spectrum of nitric acid.