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Phys. Rev. E 65, 051903 (2002) [11 pages]

Submillimeter-wave phonon modes in DNA macromolecules

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D. L. Woolard1, T. R. Globus2, B. L. Gelmont2, M. Bykhovskaia3, A. C. Samuels4, D. Cookmeyer1, J. L. Hesler2, T. W. Crowe2, J. O. Jensen4, J. L. Jensen4, and W. R. Loerop4
1U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Army Research Office, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709
2Electrical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
3Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
4U.S. Army Soldier Biological and Chemical Command, Edgewood, Maryland 21040

Received 5 September 2001; published 3 May 2002

A detailed investigation of phonon modes in DNA macromolecules is presented. This work presents experimental evidence to confirm the presence of multiple dielectric resonances in the submillimeter-wave spectra (i.e., ∼0.01–10 THz) obtained from DNA samples. These long-wave (i.e., ∼1–30 cm-1) absorption features are shown to be intrinsic properties of the particular DNA sequence under study. Most importantly, a direct comparison of spectra between different DNA samples reveals a large number of modes and a reasonable level of sequence-specific uniqueness. This work establishes the initial foundation for the future use of submillimeter-wave spectroscopy in the identification and characterization of DNA macromolecules.

© 2002 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.65.051903
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.65.051903
PACS:
87.15.-v, 87.64.-t, 87.90.+y, 07.57.-c
 
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