Continetti Group

Reaction Dynamics of Transient Species

The experiments undertaken in this research area are concerned with the reaction dynamics and energetics of transient neutral and ionic species. Much can be learned by combining traditional photoelectron and photofragment measurements into the photoelectron-photofragment coincidence technique developed in this laboratory. In these experiments, photodetachment of a negative ion precursor is used to prepare energy selected neutrals. Measurement of the kinetic energy of the photodetached electron determines the internal energy of the nascent neutral. If the neutral is unstable, the subsequent dissociation dynamics can be determined by photofragment translational spectroscopy.

A number of molecules have been studied by this process in our laboratory, including O₃^-, O₄^-, NO^-(N₂O), O₆^-, and others which can be found on the publications page.

This work is performed on one of two coincidence spectrometers. Machine A is the original workhorse, and has been recently modified to include an electron dectector capable of obtaining the energy and angular distributions of 100% of the electrons from a photodetachment event as well as with a neutral detector designed to record up to three fragments in coincidence. Machine C was built more recently and is capable of studying up to eight neutral fragments and has been used to study a number of three body dissociation processes.

More photos of Machine C can be found in the photo gallery.