Poster abstracts

Poster number 42 submitted by Curtis Israel

Second Harmonic Generation of Phospholipid Monolayers with Organic Solvents

Curtis Israel (Biophysics)

Abstract:
Phospholipids, due to their amphiphilic structure, are located at the air-water interface as opposed to the bulk water. Because of this, laser light that is incident upon this interface experiences a polarization effect that doubles the frequency of the reflected light, a process known as Second Harmonic Generation (SHG). By changing the number of molecules at the surface, as well as the addition of other compounds such as salts and organics, the structure of this monolayer is changed, affecting the intensity of this second harmonic signal. By measuring this change, the structure of the monolayer can be investigated.

Keywords: Phosholipids, Second Harmonic Generation