Research project Complex carbonaceous molecules and clusters: Charge exchange, energy transfer, and molecular growth
This project aims to significantly advance the understanding of charge exchange, energy transfer and bond formation processes in interactions between isolated molecules or clusters and atomic or molecular ions.
In this project, the main focus is on carbon containing molecules such as e.g. carbon chains, hydrocarbons, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), biomolecules and fullerenes. The goal is to unravel the conditions for the formation and survival of complex molecules in e.g. astrophysical environments. For this purpose, we perform combined experimental and theoretical studies of a range of so far unexplored reaction pathways and mechanisms. These are performed at the national infrastructure DESIREE (Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring Experiment) at SU. Here, we fully exploit its unique features in studies of interactions between positively and negatively charged ions where the collision energy may be fine-tuned down to the meV range, and in studies of molecular cooling processes in new time domains using e.g. action spectroscopy techniques.
We develop and test new theoretical models independently and through comparisons with the present and other state-of-the-art experimental results.
Project description
How do molecules form and survive in the interstellar medium? What are the conditions for the building blocks of life to evolve in extraterrestrial environments? What are the mechanisms behind aerosol formation in planetary atmospheres? The answers to these key questions require a fundamental understanding of how molecular systems respond to different forms of interactions with photons, electrons, or heavier particles. The aim here is to unravel the mechanisms of charge- and energy transfer processes when single molecules or clusters interact with atomic or molecular ions and how these mechanisms may
affect the following reaction networks. These aspects are expected to have consequences for applications in e.g. astrochemistry, astrobiology, and atmospheric sciences. In this project, we perform experiments in which the molecular systems are characterized in terms of single or narrow ranges of quantum states before and after the interactions, and develop and test various theoretical approaches in comparisons with the experimental results. The main focus is on carbonaceous molecular systems ranging in complexity from diatomic molecules to carbon and hydrocarbon chains, biomolecules, fullerenes, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their clusters containing hundreds of atoms. The aim
is to identify key reactions that lead to the birth of new molecular species in bottom-up and topdown formation processes, and to unravel the mechanisms and conditions for survival and destruction of the so formed molecules in hitherto unexplored time domains.
Project members
Project managers
Henning Zettergren
Professor
Members
Naemi Florin
Doktorand
Jose Eduardo Navarro Navarrete
PhD Student