Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Summer 2024
Abstract
My work on photothermal spectroscopy with Dr. Keller focused on the photobleaching of Methylene Blue, an important biological dye. We explored lens formation, the creation of a thermal gradient across a focused beam in a colored solution, and investigated how both continuous and pulsed lasers influence the chemistry involved. Upon irradiation with visible and ultraviolet light, Methylene Blue can be photo-reduced to its leuco (colorless) form. This "bleach" of the solution results in a decrease in absorption and a lessening of the thermal gradient. We probed both the lens formation and its weakening persistence with a second laser that crossed the reaction zone and encountered a changing index of refraction due to the thermal gradient.
Recommended Citation
Blake, Ethan and Keller, James, "Photobleaching of Methylene Blue In Thermal Lenses" (2024). Kenyon Summer Science Scholars Program. Paper 734.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/summerscienceprogram/734
Rights Statement
