Milton Kahn 2019 Annual Lecture presented by Prof. Gregory D. Scholes on Probing Ultrafast Chemical Dynamics Inspired by the Rythms of Firefiles
Departmental News
Posted: April 17, 2019
Date: Friday, April 19, 2019
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Science and Math Learning Center, Room 102
Speaker:
Prof. Gregory D. Scholes
Abstract:
Coherence phenomena arise from interference, or the addition, of wave-like amplitudes in phase [1]. While coherence has been shown to yield transformative new ways for improving function, ad-vances have been limited to pristine matter, as quantum coherence is considered fragile. Here I will discuss how vibrational and vibronic wavepackets entrain ensembles of molecules, like the synchronized flashing of fireflies. I will discuss how this can be used to probe mecha-nisms of ultrafast dynamics and how in-step vibrational mo-tion might be employed to control function on ultrafast timescales. I will give examples that include light-harvesting in photosynthesis, energy flow in organometallic molecules that is ‘wired’ by Fermi resonance, and ultrafast electron transfer in molecular systems.
