Directory of Experts
Details for Dr Colin Western
| Personal details | |
| Name | Dr Colin Western |
| Job title | Reader in Chemistry |
| Department | School of Chemistry University of Bristol |
| Personal web page | http://www.bris.ac.uk/chemistry/people/colin-m-western |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 331 8092 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | M.A., D.Phil.(Oxon.) |
| Professional details | |
| Membership of professional bodies | MRSC |
| Keywords | laser spectroscopy molecules transient molecules laser system nuclei hyperfine structure spectroscopy |
| Areas of expertise | My research work concentrates on applying the very powerful techniques provided by laser spectroscopy to a variety of molecules, particularly transient ones. I have recently developed a laser system that has a resolution more than 10 times better than conventional pulsed dye lasers. Not only does this provide clearer spectra, but it reveals important details that other systems cannot see. For example, the work on PF revealed the small splittings in spectra arising from different orientations of the nuclei known as hyperfine structure, which gives much more direct information on the bonding in the molecule than other spectroscopic constants. The spectroscopy is normally done in the low temperature environment of a molecular beam. I also provide a program, PGOPHER, for simulating rotational and other types of spectra, which is becoming widely used in the molecular spectroscopy community. |