Making and breaking bonds with synchrotron radiation and storage-ring experiments

Making and breaking bonds is at the core of chemistry and therefore of the understanding and control of chemical reactions that determine our life, quality of terrestrial environment as well as evolution of the universe.

Tunable synchrotron radiation and ion accelerators can play a key role in the exploration and manipulation of the elementary constituents of matter and to unveil the fundamental interactions driving chemical reactions at the microscopic scale.

These topics have been the subject of the running COST Action “Molecular Dynamics in the Gas Phase” where the proponent groups play a key role as Chairman and leader of one of the three working groups.This COST action witnesses the progress in the knowledge of electronic and structural dynamics of molecular systems of increasing complexity involved in biological, atmospheric and astrochemical processes.

Progress in the field strongly depends on the ability to design and build sources for beams of mass/charge selected complex systems, develop tools to manipulate their conformations and quantum states and efficient detection schemes, exchanging expertise through close collaborations.

Both groups have a worldwide recognized expertise in the developments of instrumentation and methodologies to probe radiation-matter interaction at laboratory level and large research infrastructures.

The Swedish team has built DESIREE, a unique cryogenic double electrostatic ion-beam storage ring, and is a worldwide leader group in heavy ion collision physics.

The Italian team has contributed to build the Gas Phase Photoemission beamline at synchrotron Elettra and has a proved experience in application of synchrotron radiation with photoemission, mass spectrometry and time coincidence techniques.

Now they plan to exploit new opportunities offered by DESIREE and synchrotron radiation to investigate peptide bond formation and degradation in oligopeptides, which are at the core of the development of life.