Hannover 2016 – scientific programme
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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 11: Posters 2: Novelties in Molecular Physics: Femtosecond Spectroscopy, Quantum Control, Electronic Spectroscopy, Biomolecules and Photochemistry
MO 11.3: Poster
Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 16:30–19:00, Empore Lichthof
Direct Observation of Excited State Chirality in Formic Acid — Yan Yang1, Haramrit K. Gill1, •Martin Pitzer1,2, Maksim Kunitski1, Till Jahnke1, Reinhard Dörner1, and Markus Schöffler1 — 1Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main — 2Experimentalphysik IV, Universität Kassel
In this contribution, we present first results on a laser-induced excitation of the planar molecule formic acid (HCOOH) into a chiral excited state. As the energy barrier between the left-handed and right-handed forms (enantiomers) is generally lower in excited states than for chiral molecules in the ground state, the tunneling between the two enantiomers is expected to occur on timescales observable in a pump-probe setup. Measuring the tunneling time can help to detect a possible effect of parity violation in chiral molecules [1]. Formic acid molecules are among the most simple examples with a chiral π∗ state [2]. Excitation into this state is accomplished by a femtosecond laser pulse and the handedness is probed by Coulomb Explosion Imaging, using a COLTRIMS-setup (Cold Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy) [3,4]. Different excitation energies and pump-probe schemes are employed in order to investigate the temporal behaviour of the excited molecule.
[1] R. Berger, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 5 (2003), 12-17
[2] T.L. Ng and S. Bell, J. Mol. Spec. 50 (1974), 166-181
[3] M. Pitzer, et al., Science 341 (2013), 1096-1100
[4] R. Dörner, et al., Phys. Rep., 330 (2000), 95-192