Bonn 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm

Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 47: Cold Molecules and Cold Chemistry (joint session MO/Q)

Q 47.1: Hauptvortrag

Mittwoch, 12. März 2025, 14:30–15:00, HS XVI

Cold and Controlled Reactive Collisions — •Jolijn Onvlee — Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

What exactly happens during a chemical reaction? Our aim is to investigate fundamental chemical reactions and their underlying dynamics at the full quantum level. To achieve this, we let individual molecules and atoms collide and react with each other in a crossed molecular beam machine.

We can precisely control the velocity and quantum state of a paramagnetic reactant before the collision by using a Zeeman decelerator. After the collision, we accurately probe the reaction products and their velocity vectors using laser-based techniques and velocity map imaging. This powerful combination of techniques allows for scattering experiments with extraordinary resolution.

Here, I will show how we use this approach to investigate the prototypical insertion reaction between excited sulfur atoms and hydrogen molecules in high detail and in unexplored energy regimes. With these experiments, we aim to provide a sensitive test for potential energy surfaces and scattering calculations used to describe the molecular reaction dynamics in this system. This will enable us to deepen our understanding of the intricate dynamics underlying a reaction.

Keywords: Molecular collisions; Reactive scattering; Molecular beams; Zeeman decelerator; Velocity Map Imaging