Intermolecular Coulombic decay knows no bounds
ABSTRACT :
Electronically excited molecules in weakly bound systems could dispose of the excess energy by ionizing their neighbours. Since the excitation decays via Coulombic interactions between the excited molecules and their neighbours, it is called Intermolecular Coulombic Decay (ICD). Following its prediction in 1997 [1], numerous exciting experiments measured ICD in bound systems, such as Van der Waals and hydrogen bonded clusters [2]. In this talk, we will discuss such studies on ICD in bound systems and then explore the possibility of its operation in unbound systems as well [3].
References:
[1] L. S. Cederbaum, J. Zobeley, and F. Tarantelli, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 4778 (1997).
[2] Till Jahnke et al., Chem. Rev. 120, 20, 11295–11369, (2020)
[3] Barik, S., et al. Nature Chemistry, Volume 14, pages 1098-1102 (2022).
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Prof. Aravind did his Ph.D. in experimental atomic and molecular physics from TIFR, Mumbai. He did his postdoctoral work at Aarhus University, Denmark and also at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He joined the Department of Physics, IIT Madras in 2010. He is interested in studying astrophysically relevant ions and the processes involving them.