Room Temperature Absorption Research Articles

Charge carrier absorption in n-type Sb2Se3

The optical and electrical properties of n-type chlorine-doped Sb2Se3 single crystals, with free carrier concentrations above 1016 cm−3 at room temperature, have been studied. The experiments reveal a strongly polarized temperature-dependent long-wavelength infrared absorption attributable to conduction band electrons within the material. For wavelengths between 1.6 and 6 μm, the room temperature absorption varies as λ2.5±0.3, suggesting that longitudinal optical mode scattering is the dominant electron scattering mechanism. The results are most consistent with the hypothesis that electron transport in Sb2Se3 is band-like and not intrinsically limited by small-polaron self-trapping.

Structural, spectroscopi c and laser properties of transparent Tm:YScO3 ceramic based on gas-phase synthesized nanoparticles

Owing to the combination of good thermo-optical properties and inhomogeneously broadened fluorescence spectra suitable for ultrashort laser pulse generation, rare-earth doped solid solutions of sesquioxides (Y,Lu,Sc)2O3 have attracted considerable interest in recent years. In this study, compositionally disordered Tm3+-doped YScO3 transparent ceramic was fabricated using solid-state vacuum sintering of nanopowder produced using laser ablation of solid target in air flow. The as-synthesized powder consisted of weakly aggregated spherical particles having 20 nm diameter and a mostly monoclinic (space group C2/m) crystal structure, whose symmetry was transformed into cubic (space group Ia-3) by calcination at 1050 °C. From high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), we observed a homogeneous distribution of components both throughout individual nanoparticles and 100-nm-thick ceramic foil resulting in high structural and optical quality of the obtained samples. The sintered ceramic featured an optical transmission of 77% at 600 nm and above 81% near 2 μm, an average grain size of 24.2 μm and a content of scattering centers of 26.1 ppm. The absorption spectra at several temperatures, from 93 K to 293 K, were measured and the corresponding absorption coefficients were obtained by Lambert-Beer formula in the range from 600 nm to 900 nm and from 1400 nm to 2100 nm. In particular, the room temperature absorption cross section at 794 nm and 1634 nm were determined to be σabs = 4.25 × 10−21 cm2 and σabs = 5.01 × 10−21 cm2 respectively. Concerning the emission cross section it was calculated by Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg equation starting from the fluorescence spectrum acquired at the laser work temperature: at 1951 nm and 2106 nm corresponding to the main two emission peaks belonging the curve, it was found σem = 9.2 × 10−21 cm2 and σem = 4.9 × 10−21 cm2, respectively. Finally, it was tested the laser behavior of the ceramic: pumped at 793 nm in quasi-CW mode it delivered 1.27 W of output power with a slope efficiency of 10.33% at 2081 nm. The tunability curve spans from 1942 nm to 2110 nm (i.e. 168 nm).

The far infrared absorption spectrum of D216O, D217O, and D218O: Experimental line positions, empirical energy levels and recommended line lists

The far infrared absorption spectra of D216O, D217O, and D218O are analyzed with improved accuracy and sensitivity in the 50–720 cm−1 range corresponding to the rotational band. Four room-temperature absorption spectra of highly deuterated water vapor were recorded at the SOLEIL synchrotron by high-resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy. Line centers are reported with a typical accuracy of 5 × 10−5 cm−1 for well isolated lines. The combined line list of about 9700 water lines was assigned to about 10 400 transitions of the nine stable water isotopologues (H2XO, HDXO, D2XO, with X = 16, 17, and 18). A total of 2885 transitions of eight bands involving the first five vibrational states were assigned to D216O. Among them, 2057 are newly reported. The obtained set of transition frequencies was merged with literature data to generate a new set of empirical energy levels for the first five vibrational states of D216O. A total of 1089 transitions of the (000)–(000) and (010)–(010) bands were measured for D217O. They were merged with literature sources to derive 724 empirical term values of seven vibrational states, up to 8088 cm−1. 348 D217O levels are newly determined. A set of 1150 transitions belonging to the (000)–(000) and (010)–(010) bands was measured for D218O. 3451 empirical energies of rotation–vibration levels up to 9222 cm−1 were retrieved using our observations and literature sources. The extension and accuracy of the derived empirical energy levels allow us to recommend new line lists with empirically corrected line positions for D216O, D217O, and D218O.

Optical characterization and defect-induced behavior in ZnAl1.999Ho0.001O4 spinel: Unraveling novel insights into structure, morphology, and spectroscopic features

The ZnAl1.999Ho0.001O4 phosphor, prepared by the solid-state method, crystallizes in the cubic spinel structure. Morphology and chemical composition homogeneity were determined via Energy Dispersive X-ray and SEM analysis. The (Eg) optical band gap was evaluated from the UV/vis absorption spectrum, confirming direct transition behavior according to Tauc's law. The Urbach energy (Eu) in the ZnAl1.999Ho0.001O4 spinel was higher than that in the ZnAl2O4 spinel, indicating increased disorder and a higher concentration of defects due to Ho3+ ions. The penetration depth (δ(λ)), optical extinction (k(λ)), and refractive index (n(λ)) were assessed across wavelengths (λ). The room temperature absorption spectrum revealed several peaks corresponding to the 4f-4f transitions of Ho3+ ions.

Introducing Ni-N-C ternary nanocomposite as an active material to enhance the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2

The use of Mg-based materials as solid-state hydrogen storage materials can provide a viable solution to the bottleneck hindering the development of hydrogen energy. However, it is necessary to address their excessively stable thermodynamic properties and sluggish kinetic performances. In this study, we prepared a Ni-N-C ternary nanocomposite (designated as Ni@NC) catalyst using Ni-based metal-organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs) as a precursor for catalytic MgH2 hydrogen storage properties. The Ni@NC catalyst exhibited excellent promotion effects on the hydrogen absorption and desorption kinetics and the cycling stability of the Mg-based materials. Notably, the composite exhibited room-temperature hydrogen absorption initiation and an onset dehydrogenation temperature of 188 °C, with complete hydrogenation achieved after holding at 100 °C for 60 min. After undergoing 100 cycles of absorption/dehydrogenation, the capacity retention rate was 99.5 %. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test results indicated that the re-hydrogenated MgH2-Ni@NC composites consist of Mg2NiH4 and MgH2, with corresponding dehydrogenation activation energies of 75.2 and 82.9 kJ mol−1 respectively. The mechanism analysis revealed that Ni@NC was uniformly distributed on the MgH2 surface. During dehydrogenation/rehydrogenation, Mg2NiH4/Mg2Ni “hydrogen pumping” by Ni and MgH2/Mg occurred in situ, the presence of N-C effectively inhibited the expansion of MgH2/Mg, and the enhanced charge transfer effect was facilitated by N in the Ni@NC composite, synergistically enhancing the kinetic performance and cycling stability of MgH2.

Using XAS to monitor radiation damage in real time and post-analysis, and investigation of systematic errors of fluorescence XAS for Cu-bound amyloid-β.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a promising technique for determining structural information from sensitive biological samples, but high-accuracy X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) requires corrections of systematic errors in experimental data. Low-temperature XAS and room-temperature X-ray absorption spectro-electrochemical (XAS-EC) measurements of N-truncated amyloid-β samples were collected and corrected for systematic effects such as dead time, detector efficiencies, monochromator glitches, self-absorption, radiation damage and noise at higher wavenumber (k). A new protocol was developed using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data analysis for monitoring radiation damage in real time and post-analysis. The reliability of the structural determinations and consistency were validated using the XAS measurement experimental uncertainty. The correction of detector pixel efficiencies improved the fitting χ2 by 12%. An improvement of about 2.5% of the structural fitting was obtained after dead-time corrections. Normalization allowed the elimination of 90% of the monochromator glitches. The remaining glitches were manually removed. The dispersion of spectra due to self-absorption was corrected. Standard errors of experimental measurements were propagated from pointwise variance of the spectra after systematic corrections. Calculated uncertainties were used in structural refinements for obtaining precise and reliable values of structural parameters including atomic bond lengths and thermal parameters. This has permitted hypothesis testing.

Comprehensive characterization and optoelectronic significance of Ho3+ and Cr3+ Co-doped ZnAl2O4 spinels.

The spinels ZnAl1.99-xHoxCr0.01O4 (with x = 0 and 0.001) were synthesized using a solid-state method, and various techniques were employed for their characterization. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed a cubic spinel structure with the Fd3̄m space group for both spinels. The morphology and homogeneity of the chemical composition were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Raman and infrared vibrational spectroscopy techniques were also employed for analysis. The optical band gap (Eg) was determined from UV/vis absorption spectra, and the direct transition behavior was confirmed by Tauc's law. The observed large disorder and defect concentration are attributed to the presence of Cr3+ and Ho3+ ions, explaining this behavior. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurement presented different types of traps. Room temperature absorption spectra exhibited multiple peaks corresponding to the 3d-3d and 4f-4f transitions of Cr3+ and Ho3+ ions. The results obtained validate the significance of our compounds in optoelectronic device applications.

Intrinsic point defects (vacancies and antisites) in CdGeP2 crystals

Cadmium germanium diphosphide (CdGeP2) crystals, with versatile terahertz-generating properties, belong to the chalcopyrite family of nonlinear optical materials. Other widely investigated members of this family are ZnGeP2 and CdSiP2. The room-temperature absorption edge of CdGeP2 is near 1.72 eV (720 nm). Cadmium vacancies, phosphorous vacancies, and germanium-on-cadmium antisites are present in as-grown CdGeP2 crystals. These unintentional intrinsic point defects are best studied below room temperature with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical absorption. Prior to exposure to light, the defects are in charge states that have no unpaired spins. Illuminating a CdGeP2 crystal with 700 or 850 nm light while being held below 120 K produces singly ionized acceptors (VCd−) and singly ionized donors (GeCd+), as electrons move from VCd2− vacancies to GeCd2+ antisites. These defects become thermally unstable and return to their doubly ionized charge states in the 150–190 K range. In contrast, neutral phosphorous vacancies (VP0) are only produced with near-band-edge light when the crystal is held near or below 18 K. The VP0 donors are unstable at these lower temperatures and return to the singly ionized VP+ charge state when the light is removed. Spin-Hamiltonian parameters for the VCd− acceptors and VP0 donors are extracted from the angular dependence of their EPR spectra. Exposure at low-temperature to near-band-edge light also introduces broad optical absorption bands peaking near 756 and 1050 nm. A consistent picture of intrinsic defects in II-IV-P2 chalcopyrites emerges when the present CdGeP2 results are combined with earlier results from ZnGeP2, ZnSiP2, and CdSiP2.

Detecting terahertz wave by microphone based on the photoacoustic effect in graphene foam

Abstract Terahertz (THz) wave plays important roles in the research of material properties, the non-invasive human security check and the next generation wireless communication. The progress of the scientific and technological applications of THz wave is strongly dependent on the improvement of THz detectors. Here a novel THz wave detection scheme is proposed in which the THz radiation is detected by an audible microphone based on the photo-thermo-acoustic (PTA) effect in graphene foam. Thanks to the room-temperature broadband electromagnetic absorption characteristics of graphene foam and the fast heat transfer between graphene foam and ambient air, this detection method not only inherits the advantages of the photo-thermal THz detector such as room-temperature and full bandwidth, but also has a response time 3 orders of magnitude faster than the photo-thermal detector. Besides, no micro-antenna/electrode is required to fabricate in the graphene foam THz detector which greatly simplifies the detector design and decreases the fabrication cost. It concludes that the room-temperature, full-bandwidth, fast-speed (≥10 kHz), and easy-to-fabricate THz detector developed in this work has superior comprehensive performances among both the commercial THz detectors and the detectors recently developed in laboratory.

Luminescence properties of Pr3+ doped Bi4Ge3O12 crystal fibers grown by the micro-pulling down technique

The luminescence properties of 0.5%Pr-doped BGO crystals grown by using the micro-pulling down technique were carefully investigated. Room temperature absorption spectra were registered and analyzed within the framework of the Judd-Ofelt formalism and the best fit to the data is obtained by using a modified treatment allowing for the admixture of intensity enabling wave-functions. The results indicate 3P0 and 1D2 radiative lifetimes of about 5.7 μs and 79 μs, in perfect agreement with the time-constants derived from the measured fluorescence decays at room and liquid-nitrogen temperatures. Registration of time-resolved emission and excitation spectra and calibration of the 3P0 emission spectrum in cross section unit clearly indicate that Pr-doped BGO could be the first isotropic crystalline material leading to efficient diode-pumped laser operation at room temperature with laser performances, at least in the deep-red spectral region, comparable to that found with the most important anisotropic Pr-doped fluoride and oxide crystals.

Frequency comb-referenced cavity ring-down spectroscopy of natural water between 8041 and 8633 cm−1

The 1.25 µm atmospheric transparency window is of importance for a number of atmospheric applications. As a continuation of our previous works on the improvement of water vapor line parameters in the near infrared, the room temperature absorption spectrum of water vapor in natural isotopic abundance is recorded with unprecedented sensitivity between 8041 and 8633 cm−1, using comb-referenced cavity ring-down spectroscopy. The line positions and intensities of more than 5400 lines were retrieved. Their intensities range between 3.6 × 10−30 and 1.5 × 10−22 cm/molecule. The high sensitivity and low noise level of the recordings (αmin≈ 10−11 cm−1) allow for measuring more than 1600 new lines and determine their positions with an accuracy of about 10−4 cm−1 in the case of isolated features. The rovibrational assignments were performed using known experimental energy levels and calculated spectra based on variational calculations by Schwenke and Partridge. The final line list is assigned to more than 5400 transitions of the first six water isotopologues (H216O, H218O, H217O, HD16O, HD18O and HD17O). The measured line positions allow to determine the energy of 79 new levels of H216O, H218O, H217O, and HD16O, and to correct 139 previously reported term values. Although a good agreement is generally observed, the comparison to the HITRAN2020 spectroscopic database and to the W2020 transition frequencies reveals a number of discrepancies both for line positions and line intensities. The lack of traceability of some HITRAN line parameters and some biases in the derivation procedure of the W2020 energy levels are confirmed in the studied range. Validation tests of the theoretical values of the line intensities against measured values show both band-by-band variations of the deviations on the order of a few % and line-by-line fluctuations within a given band.

Qualitative and quantitative study on DL-glutamic acid and its monohydrate using terahertz spectra

The rotation, translation, and vibration of many amino acid molecules fall in the terahertz (THz) range, thus qualitative and quantitative researches of amino acids can be carried out through their THz absorption characteristic fingerprint peaks. In this work, the room-temperature THz absorption spectra of DL-glutamic acid and its monohydrate at 0.5–3.0 THz are measured by utilizing terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). It is found that the THz characteristic peaks of these two amino acids are obviously different from each other. Moreover, according to the changes of the absorption amplitude of the characteristic absorption peak (1.24 THz) of DL-glutamate monohydrate at different sample concentrations, the mixed samples of DL-glutamate and its monohydrate are quantitatively analyzed, and the quantitative analysis formula is verified. In addition, the optical mode of DL-glutamic acid and its monohydrate in THz region are predicted by using density functional theory (DFT). On condition that the theoretical data are matched with the experimental peaks, the origins of THz absorption peaks obtained in the experiment are discussed and summarized. The results show that the THz characteristic peaks (<2.80 THz) of DL-glutamic acid and its monohydrate come from the intermolecular interactions, and the other absorption peaks result from the combination of intermolecular and intramolecular interactions.

Research on the use of agricultural waste to manufacture highly hygroscopic materials for agricultural applications

Material based on hydrogel from rice-straw with high absorption capacity and slow water release was prepared by cryogenic method, using citric acid as cross-linker and without creating waste stream to the environment. The structure and properties of the material were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR and TGA method. The results showed that the largest water absorbency of the material reached 30.67g/g, 4.48 times higher than the original rice-straw. The material was able to slowly release water in 6 days at room temperature and return water absorption of 3.97 g/g when reusing the material. In addition, the material is biodegradable and biocompatible. With the obtained results and simple, inexpensive, environmentally friendly method, this is a material that can be industrially produced and widely used in green agriculture.

Examining the Spectroscopic and Thermographic Qualities of Er3+-doped Oxyfluoride Germanotellurite Glasses.

Novel ternary fluoro-germano-tellurite (GTS) glasses doped with Er3+ ions with 0.5 mol% and 1.0 mol% were fabricated by a conventional melt and quenching method and investigated using methods of optical spectroscopy. The room-temperature absorption spectrum was recorded and analyzed to determine radiative transition rates, radiative lifetimes, and branching ratios of Er3+ luminescence. Decay curves of Er3+ luminesccence were recorded and analyzed. Temperature dependences of emission spectra and absorption spectra in the region from RT (room-temperature) up to 675 K were studied in detail. The contribution of competing radiative and nonradiative processes to the relaxation of luminescent levels of Er3+ was assessed. Absolute and relative sensitivity were established utilizing the comprehensive model based on thermally coupled 2H11/2/4S3/2 excited states of erbium. The high quantum efficiency of the first erbium-excited state and value of gain coefficient indicate that GTS:Er glass system can be considered as conceivable NIR (near infrared) laser material as well.

PRESSURE DEPENDENCES OF LINE PARAMETERS OF THE 𝝂𝟑 + 𝝂𝟒 R(7)F1 TRANSITION OF METHANE DILUTED IN NITROGEN USING THE HARDAND SOFT-COLLISION MODELS

In this work, the affection of the Dicke narrowing effect on the spectral shape of the 𝜈3 + 𝜈4 R(7)F1 transition of methane diluted in nitrogen was studied using the Hard- and the Soft- collision line-shape models. Room-temperature absorption spectra of CH4 broadened by N2 were measured at a wide range of pressure using a difference-frequency laser spectrometer. Measured spectra of the studied transition were then one-by-one fitted with the simple Voigt profile as well as the two line-shape models considered the Dicke narrowing effect at two different assumptions of velocity-changing collisions: hard- and soft- collisions. The obtained results confirmed that using these two models leads to better qualities of fit with respect to the Voigt profile. Pressure-dependences of the line-shape parameters were also observed for the considered transition. The results showed a good agreement with other studies.

Influence of high pressure on Ce3+ luminescence in LuAlO3 and YAlO3 single crystals and single crystalline layers

Results of spectroscopic studies at ambient and high pressures of a LuAlO3:Ce3+ (LuAP:Ce) single crystalline film (SCF) as well as LuAP:Ce and YAlO3:Ce (YAP:Ce) single crystals are reported. Room temperature absorption measurements of the single crystals in the vacuum UV region allowed establishing the bandgap energies of 7.63 eV for YAP and 7.86 eV for LuAP, with an assumption of the direct band-gaps. Luminescence of Ce3+ in LuAP and YAP bulk crystals was measured as a function of temperature from 6 K up to 873 K. Temperature quenching of the Ce3+ luminescence in YAP:Ce was observed above 650 K, which is related to the location of the lowest Ce3+5d level at 1.27 eV below the conduction band minimum. No temperature quenching occurred in LuAP:Ce up to 873 K, mostly due to the lower energy of the 4f levels with respect to the valence band maximum. The barycenter energies and splittings of Ce3+5d states in YAP and LuAP at room temperature were precisely established. Theoretical calculations of the Ce3+5d states energy structure under pressure revealed a discrepancy between the obtained experimental results and the prediction of Dorenbos' theoretical model. The discrepancy can be removed if instead of the 5d state of the free Ce3+ ion the bandgap of the compound is taken as reference energy for the red-shift of the 5d level. This hypothesis also allows us to take into account the pressure-induced increase of the bandgap energy, expected for the studied compounds. Pressure dependences of LuAP:Ce luminescence spectra suggest that a certain type of phase transition occurs above 15 GPa.

The ammonia absorption spectrum between 4700 and 5650 cm[formula omitted

Room temperature absorption spectra of ammonia were recorded by high-resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy in the 4700–5600 cm−1 range at four pressures (13, 46, 140, and 304 Pa). Additionally, we use an existing Kitt Peak spectrum to extend the analysis up to 5650 cm−1. In total, 9110 absorption lines with intensity ranging from 1×10−25 to 1.6×10−20 cm/molecule were retrieved, for the two principal isotopologues. Another Kitt Peak spectrum was used to identify 505 15NH3 transitions within the experimental line list. The rovibrational assignments of the 14NH3 lines relied on the position and intensity agreement with the C2018 theoretical line list (Coles et al. JQSRT 2018;219 199–212) and were validated by the systematic use of Lower State Combination Difference (LSCD) relations. In the process, a number of intensity transfer between nearby transitions were identified. Finally, 6562 transitions were assigned to 61 vibrational bands of the main isotopologue, 14NH3, representing 98.85% of the C2018 integrated absorption at room temperature in the region. The upper state empirical energy of a total of 2215 rovibrational levels of 14NH3 were derived. Most of them are newly reported. The comparison with the current HITRAN2020 list is discussed. A recommended line list for ammonia in natural isotopic abundance is provided for the studied region.

Water vapor absorption spectroscopy and validation tests of databases in the far-infrared (50–720 cm-1). Part 1: Natural water

The rotational spectrum of water vapor in natural isotopic abundance has been recorded by high resolution (≈ 0.001 cm-1) Fourier transform spectroscopy at the AILES beam line of the SOLEIL synchrotron. The room temperature absorption spectrum has been recorded between 50 and 720 cm-1 using five pressure values up to 7 mbar and an absorption pathlength of 151.75 m. Line parameters were retrieved for the five recorded spectra and then combined in a global list of 2867 water lines with line intensity ranging between a few 10–26 and 10–19 cm/molecule. 454 of the measured lines are newly observed by absorption spectroscopy. The spectral calibration based on a statistical matching with about 700 accurate reference line positions allows for line center determinations with an accuracy of 5 × 10–5 cm-1 for well isolated lines of intermediate intensity.The large spectral coverage, the achieved position accuracy and sensitivity of the constructed line list make it valuable for validation tests of the current spectroscopic databases. Six water isotopologues (H218O, H216O, H217O, HD18O, HD16O, and HD17O) were found to contribute to the spectrum. The line position comparison to the recent HITRAN2020 spectroscopic database and to the W2020 line lists of H216O, H217O and H218O, [Furtenbacher et al. J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 49 (2020) 043103; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0030680] shows an overall very good agreement. Nevertheless, a number of significant deviations are observed. Part of them has an amplitude largely exceeding the W2020 claimed error bars. On the basis of the experimental data at disposal for the main isotopologue (1310 transitions), the best agreement is achieved with the positions calculated using the effective Bending–Rotation Hamiltonian [Coudert et al. J Mol Spectrosc 2014;303:36–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jms.2014.07.003].

Spectroscopic and luminescent properties of Ce3+ -doped TeO2-WO3-GeO2 glasses

Different concentrations of Ce3+-doped TeO2-WO3-GeO2-Ce2O3 (TWGCe) glasses were prepared by melt-quenching method and characterized. Different spectroscopic and luminescence properties were evaluated using room temperature absorption and emission spectra. The absence of sharp X-ray diffraction peaks and the presence of broad band from 18° to 35° shows the amorphous phase of studied glasses. The Fourier transform infrared absorption spectra show the presence of various vibrational bonds. The optical properties of TWGCe glasses were studied by exciting the glass samples at 323 nm ultraviolet wavelength. The quenching in luminescence is noticed at × = 0.5 mol% along with a red-shift at higher Ce3+ concentrations. The decay time was found decrease with increase of concentration of Ce3+ ions. These glasses emit intense blue luminescence with CIE coordinates (0.161, 0.018) when excited at 323 nm radiation. These glasses are favourable as blue light sources in the design of phosphor-based white LEDs.

Zam Is a Redox-Regulated Member of the RNB-Family Required for Optimal Photosynthesis in Cyanobacteria.

The zam gene mediating resistance to acetazolamide in cyanobacteria was discovered thirty years ago during a drug tolerance screen. We use phylogenetics to show that Zam proteins are distributed across cyanobacteria and that they form their own unique clade of the ribonuclease II/R (RNB) family. Despite being RNB family members, multiple sequence alignments reveal that Zam proteins lack conservation and exhibit extreme degeneracy in the canonical active site—raising questions about their cellular function(s). Several known phenotypes arise from the deletion of zam, including drug resistance, slower growth, and altered pigmentation. Using room-temperature and low-temperature fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy, we show that deletion of zam results in decreased phycocyanin synthesis rates, altered PSI:PSII ratios, and an increase in coupling between the phycobilisome and PSII. Conserved cysteines within Zam are identified and assayed for function using in vitro and in vivo methods. We show that these cysteines are essential for Zam function, with mutation of either residue to serine causing phenotypes identical to the deletion of Zam. Redox regulation of Zam activity based on the reversible oxidation-reduction of a disulfide bond involving these cysteine residues could provide a mechanism to integrate the ‘central dogma’ with photosynthesis in cyanobacteria.