SRC Brown Bag: Dr. Timothy Marin, Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois
Pictured are Timothy Marin, Amanda Pedersen,
Asif Kamal, and David Bartels.
About the Research:
"We are investigating the fundamental structure of water up to and above its critical temperature by probing its lowest-lying electronic transition in the deep ultraviolet. Beyond the critical temperature water becomes a compressible fluid and is thought to exhibit local clustering of water molecules. In this temperature region, absorption spectra are to be obtained as a function of density, providing information on how the lowest electronic transition in water is related to the local solvent environment due to changes in the degree of water clustering. The Aladdin ring is crucial for these measurements in obtaining a high enough photon flux to penetrate the water sample. Results will lay the groundwork for future studies of aqueous ion spectroscopy. In addition, any further understanding of a substance as important as water could bring the world one step closer to seeing its use in new, efficient supercritical water-cooled Generation IV nuclear reactors or in toxic waste mitigation via supercritical water oxidation facilities."