Characterization of Nucleobases in Broadband Terahertz Spectra from 0.5 to 10 THz with the Air-Biased-Coherent-Detection Technique
Miao Yu,
Shihan Yan,
Yong-qiang Sun,
Wang Sheng,
Fu Tang,
Xiao-yu Peng,
Yuan Hu
Affiliations
Miao Yu
Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Measurement and Optical Information Transmission Technology, Ministry of Education, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, China
Shihan Yan
Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center of Applied Physics, Chongqing 400714, China
Yong-qiang Sun
Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Measurement and Optical Information Transmission Technology, Ministry of Education, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, China
Wang Sheng
Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Terahertz Technology Research Center, Chongqing 400714, China
Fu Tang
Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Terahertz Technology Research Center, Chongqing 400714, China
Xiao-yu Peng
Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Terahertz Technology Research Center, Chongqing 400714, China
Yuan Hu
Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Measurement and Optical Information Transmission Technology, Ministry of Education, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, China
Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is an effective coherent detection technique for deeply understanding the structures and functions of biomolecules. However, generally not full information in the whole THz range can be obtained due to the limited detection bandwidth (usually less than 5 THz) of the traditional THz-TDS systems. In this paper, effective THz absorption spectra in 0.5–10 THz range of five typical nucleobases of DNA/RNA are characterized with a super broadband THz detection technique, called the air-biased- coherent-detection (THz-ABCD) technique. Few unexpected characteristic absorption peaks appeared in the low-frequency region and meanwhile a series of anticipated characteristic absorption peaks are found in the high-frequency region. The fingerprint spectra of these nucleobases are helpful for further analysis on the vibration and twisting behavior of hydrogen bonds, van der Waals and electrostatic forces etc. between and within DNA/RNA biomolecules.
