My research has focused on using vibrational spectroscopy to probe the dynamics of molecules. The environment that a molecule is in can have a great influence on its vibrational frequency. For example, when a water molecule is in the gas phase, it has a vibrational frequency of 3700 cm-1. However, in the liquid, the frequency shifts to an average of 3400 cm-1. This effect in this case stems from the very strong hydrogen bond formed with neighboring molecules. The absorption line also becomes quite broad in the liquid. This is due to the fact that not every molecule interacts in the same way with its neighbors. Those that have stronger interactions will have a greater shift in frequency than those that happen to have weaker interactions.
