Charge and structural dynamics in molecules - towards Attochemistry

This project aims for a combined study of charge and structural dynamics in molecules, following these on significantly different timescales within a single experiment.

This will allow us to observe and control the interplay between charge and structural dynamics during the course of chemical reactions.

To accomplish this, we will use two-photon extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray pump-probe schemes in combination with correlated imaging of the reaction products.

With a time-resolution in the attosecond regime we want to observe the mechanisms active in molecules just after photoexcitation, following the charge dynamics within the molecule as well as the slower structural changes that the molecule undergoes.The successful completion of this project will make it possible for us to study the very first moments of a chemical reaction, as the ultrafast charge dynamics induced by photoexcitation couple to the nuclei of the molecule and induces the chemical re-arrangement.

Deeper insights into such dynamics can give a more fundamental understanding of processes occurring in nature, for which the underlying mechanisms are not known to date, like the photosynthesis and charge transfer through DNA.

Further, as soon as we can measure and start to understand these processes, we will be able to learn how to exert control over them, something that could be of great importance in for example the development of efficient solar cells and in the field of molecular electronics.