NOVEMBER 1997 REPORT FOR

W. CHARLES SYMONS, III

The main emphasis during October was on preparing for the Eastern Analytical Symposium being held in November. As part of this preparation, the NSOM X-band experiment was crudely setup as seen in Figures 1 and 2 below. In this manner, some very preliminary results were obtained. From these results, it appears as if our signal is barely detectable over the noise floor however, with calibration, we believe that some significant results can be obtained. In addition to calibrating the system, the sample positioning system must be reworked to provide consistent raster scanning capabilities. To facilitate this capability, an inexpensive x-y-z positioning stage is being ordered from Edmund Scientific. In addition to the X-band preparation, the laser dermatome motor control components are currently being assembled such that the dermatome can be controlled via the parallel port of a PC.

Figure 1: X-Band Setup.

Figure 2: X-Band Sample Behind Aperture.