Conversion of a Single-Frequency X-Band EPR Spectrometer into a Broadband Multi-Frequency 0.1–18 GHz Instrument for Analysis of Complex Molecular Spin Hamiltonians

A broadband EPR spectrometer is an instrument that can be tuned to many microwave frequencies over several octaves. Its purpose is the collection of multi-frequency data, whose global analysis affords interpretation of complex spectra by means of deconvolution of frequency-dependent and frequency-in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wilfred R. Hagen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-07-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/13/5281
Description
Summary:A broadband EPR spectrometer is an instrument that can be tuned to many microwave frequencies over several octaves. Its purpose is the collection of multi-frequency data, whose global analysis affords interpretation of complex spectra by means of deconvolution of frequency-dependent and frequency-independent interaction terms. Such spectra are commonly encountered, for example, from transition-metal complexes and metalloproteins. In a series of previous papers, I have described the development of broadband EPR spectrometers around a vector network analyzer. The present study reports on my endeavor to start from an existing X-band spectrometer and to reversibly re-build it into a broadband machine, in a quest to drastically reduce design effort, building costs, and operational complexity, thus bringing broadband EPR within easy reach of a wide range of researchers.
ISSN:1420-3049