[MOS] May 4, 2010

[Zina Queen]

Seminar on

Modern Optics and Spectroscopy

Novel reaction mechanisms revealed by high-resolution Ion Imaging

Arthur Suits,
Wayne State University

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.


Ion imaging techniques have emerged as a powerful means of 
investigating elementary atomic and molecular interactions. Recent 
developments have led to extraordinary velocity resolution and opened 
the door to a range of applications. We will introduce these 
techniques and show two distinct applications: in the first, we 
present a study of the dissociation of formaldehyde to CO + H2 that 
reveals a new "roaming atom" reaction mechanism that avoids the 
region of the transition state entirely. The combination of 
state-correlated photodissociation results and photofragment 
excitation spectra allow us to explore the detailed dynamics of this 
pathway as well as the "conventional" molecular elimination process, 
and to explore the energy dependent branching in this multichannel 
unimolecular reaction. Our second series of studies explores novel 
primary photochemical processes relevant to hydrocarbon growth 
processes in the atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan


Grier Room, MIT Bldg 34-401
Refreshments served after the lecture
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