A new multichannel detector for proteomics studies and circular dichroism

The conventional instrument for the measurement of Circular Dichroism (CD) comprises of a single anode photomultiplier tube (PMT) detector connected to a “lock-in” amplifier. This requires the sequential scanning across the wavelength spectrum, making it a useful method for structure determination but not for time-resolved measurements and the observation of structural changes. In this paper, we report on our progress to develop a novel system based on a semiconductor linear array detector that will overcome the limitations of the conventional systems and will allow for the observation of dynamic phenomena to the time limits imposed by the technique itself, i.e. 20 μs with conventional light modulation methods. Our final aim is to develop an instrument that will enable the simultaneous measurement of both spectroscopic and time resolved CD by the realisation of energy-dispersive experiments (EDE-CD).