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ULTRAFAST PHYSICS

A solid look at molecules

Nature Physics volume 17, pages 303–304 (2021)Cite this article

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When molecular model systems, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are ionized by ultrashort extreme ultraviolet pulses, their relaxation path proceeds via electron–phonon scattering, linking molecules to typical solid-state matter behaviour.

The study of chemical reactions and molecular dynamics at the nuclear and electronic level has made great strides thanks to the technological development of ultrafast lasers, which we can use to capture such processes in real time. However, the photochemistry of big and complex molecular systems has been poorly investigated so far, owing to the high degree of complexity involved in the experiments and in the comprehension of the data. Marius Hervé and colleagues have now performed a systematic study of an entire class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which showed that all these molecules follow the same relaxation pathway with a size-dependent lifetime — behaving more like solids than molecules1.

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Fig. 1: Ionization of a PAH molecule.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ULCD — Ultrafast Liquid Crystals Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg, Germany

    Laura Cattaneo

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  1. Laura Cattaneo
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Correspondence to Laura Cattaneo.

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Cattaneo, L. A solid look at molecules. Nat. Phys. 17, 303–304 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-01080-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-01080-4

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