Making Molecular Movies: Chemical Physics in Action (Aimed at UG students)

THIS SEMINAR IS AIMED AT UNERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN IPAQS OR RELATED COURSES.
In order to understand the intricate details of chemical change, the fundamental physics behind such processes must be studied in detail. This talk, primarily aimed at undergraduates, will introduce methods for achieving this goal that make use of “ultrafast” femtosecond lasers to enable the real-time dynamics of energy flow in molecules to be observed – i.e. making molecular movies. These experiments, which draw on many different aspects of physics (lasers & optics, vacuum science, charged particle imaging, quantum mechanics & spectroscopy, etc.), provide a great deal of insight into key pathways that drive the evolution of chemical reactants to chemical products. Specific examples will then focus on processes found in nature that protect living organisms from the potentially damaging effects of ultraviolet light via so-called “photo-protection” mechanisms.