Bio-molecular interaction with singly and multiply charged ions and laser pulses

Fresia Alvarado,  Dr. Ronnie Hoekstra, Prof. Dr. Reinhard Morgenstern,  Dr. Thomas Schlathölter

KVI Atomic Physics Zernikelaan 25 NL-9747 AA Groningen The Netherlands
Tel: +31 503633001 fax: +31 503634003

Website: http://www.kvi.nl/~atf

Research interests

A major focus of the Groningen group is the interaction of singly and multiply charged keV ions with matter in its different states ((cold) atoms, molecules, clusters, surfaces). We operate a 14 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source, which delivers beams from H+ to Xe30+ at acceleration voltages between 1 kV and 25 kV.
The research interests relevant for RADAM regard the interaction of such ions with bio-molecular targets. In pioneering studies we investigated Cq+ induced ionisation and fragmentation of gas phase DNA/RNA bases at keV energies by means of high resolution coincidence time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometry. Related studies concern a comparison of the interaction of 0.5 MeV Xe25+ ions and short (50 fs) ultrastrong laser pulses with the RNA base uracil. The TOF setup is furthermore equipped with a Nd-YAG laser system suitable for target excitation prior to the ion-molecule interaction.
A second experiment, which is presently under construction, aims at the investigation of more complicated larger bio-molecules. Briefly, it consists of a RF-trap in which bio-molecular ions obtained by laser desorption or electrospray ionisation can be trapped and cooled. The response of these ions to keV ions as well as photons will be studied by means of coincidence TOF spectrometry of the interaction products.

Relevant publications

Charge driven fragmentation of nucleic acid bases
J. de Vries, R. Hoekstra, R. Morgenstern and T. Schlathölter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 (2003) 053401

Multiple ionization and fragmentation of the DNA base thymine by interactions with Cq+ ions
J. de Vries, R. Hoekstra, R. Morgenstern and T. Schlathölter  Eur. Phys. J. D 24 (2003) 161

Cq+ induced excitation and fragmentation of uracil: effects of the projectile electronic structure
J. de Vries, R. Hoekstra, R. Morgenstern, and T. Schlathölter J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 35 (2002) 4373

Charge driven fragmentation of biologically relevant molecules
T. Schlathölter, R. Hoekstra, R. Morgenstern  Int. J. Mass Spec. (in press)

COST P9 Workings group(s) of interest: WG2 Ions and Biomolecular interactions