Abstract

Water possesses strong absorption in the THz range due to intermolecular vibrational modes in a network of hydrogen-bonded water molecules. Its THz response is also sensitive to the coupling of water to other molecules, i.e. the hydration shell of a protein. Probing the nonlinear properties of hydration water can provide insight into protein solvent dynamics, and in the case of intrinsically disordered proteins, its subsequent role in the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Such characterization at low THz frequencies (< 3 THz) remains yet limited, due to the scarcity of brilliant light sources in this range.

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