Stimulated Low-Frequency Raman Scattering in Brome Mosaic Virus

Abstract

We experimentally register stimulated low-frequency Raman scattering (SLFRS) in the suspension of brome mosaic virus (BMV) in phosphate buffer with very high conversion efficiency. We identify two components of the SLFRS spectrum as the breathing and quadrupole modes of BMV and determine damping characteristics and gain factors for these modes. We show that, using the core–shell model for BMV and taking into account the influence of the environment, the acoustic properties of individual components of such a composite nanosystem can be determined. Thus, we define the sound velocity in the RNA core of BMV, in view of spectral characteristics of SLFRS.