FBS Colloquia No.236Photophysics Laboratory

Investigating optical properties of single-crystalline amino acids / Venture project of new electronic musical instrument

Amino acids are the most basic molecules constituting proteins in living bodies. Recently, amino acids have been reported to be nonlinear optical crystals applied to wavelength conversion elements. To elucidate the origin of the nonlinear optical behavior, the dielectric properties and their thermal effects are the key to understanding their origin. So, we have started to investigate the temperature dependence of anisotropic optical properties of amino acids using single crystalline samples of L-alanine, which has the simplest molecular structure among amino acids with optical isomers. In the colloquium, we introduce some results of the observation of extremely sharp peaks and huge thermal effects originating from hydrogen bonds in optical spectra in the terahertz frequency region. Recently, the presenter has started a venture company “eMotto” to develop new electronic musical instruments in collaboration with project members, including members of the Humanware Innovation Program. The Venture project will also be introduced.