Rotational Diffusion of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Abstract

The line shape of the Rayleigh component of light scattered from dilute tobacco mosaic virussolutions has been examined as a function of scattering angle using a homodyne technique and an autocorrelation function computer. By these means two Lorentzian components corresponding to the translational and rotational diffusional coefficients of the anisotropic molecule were separated. It is concluded that this experimental technique permits the resolution of the observed line more readily than the alternative wave analyzer method. The agreement between theory and experiment is good for the time constants and for the fractional amplitudes as a function of scattering angle except for a deviation of the calculated and observed amplitude at high angles.