Wednesday Colloquia

An unusual ionization mechanism in unbound molecules

by Prof. G Aravind (IIT Madras)

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at AG-66 and via ZOOM webinar ( Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/97963259354?pwd=ZFZsa2xqWGJSZW5pUjZPNkNqeGlEZz09 )
Meeting ID: 979 6325 9354 Pass code: 04072020
Description
Formation of positive ions is the starting point of many reactions that occur in the terrestrial and astrophysical environments. When neutral atoms or molecules absorb photons with sufficient energy they could detach an electron forming positive ions. In 1997, a new ionization mechanism was predicted for systems in which molecules are bound together by Van der Waals or hydrogen bonds. An excited molecule in such a bound unit could dispose of the excess energy by ionizing a neighbouring molecule in the same unit [1]. We will discuss this new mechanism and explore the possibilities for its operation even in unbound molecules [2].

References:  

[1] L. S. Cederbaum, J. Zobeley, and F. Tarantelli, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 4778 (1997).
[2] Barik, S., Dutta, S., Behera, N.R. et al.  Nat. Chem. (2022)