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Molecular dynamics and elementary
chemical reactions
Projects
C.2.5 | Optical control of competing chemical channels at the full speed of intramolecular motion
C.2.7 | Ultrafast chemical imaging
The intrinsic speed of molecular dynamics and elementary chemical reactions is given by the speed of the atoms within the molecules. We propose to implement photon-based methods with sub-10-fs timing to record “atomic scale movies” that fully resolve the primary processes. A focus of the experimental and theoretical work will be electron and proton transfer, both of fundamental importance for the building blocks of life. With the light sources of MAP we will be able to coherently excite multiple electronic states and steer as well as probe the evolution of the resulting electronic wavepacket with attosecond resolution. We expect that this new tool will allow an unprecedented degree of coherent control over the outcome of chemical reactions. This work will be in the regime of exceptionally pronounced entangling of electronic and nuclear motions, implying the complete breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.
Major goals
- Real-time observation, control and steering of the highly entangled motions of electrons and nuclei in molecules
- Atomic scale movies of elementary chemical reactions, temporal resolution approaching the attosecond regime
- Complementary information from femtosecond-resolved x-ray and electron diffraction, infrared and coherent Raman, and photo-electron spectroscopy
- Quantum-dynamics and quantum-control theory
