Stuttgart 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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SYIB: Symposium Fast Ion Beams in Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics Research

SYIB 2: Fast Ion Beams in Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics Research II

SYIB 2.2: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 13. März 2012, 14:30–15:00, V55.22

Using femtosecond lasers for determining the structure and dynamics of complex molecules — •Jason Greenwood — Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK

Ultrashort laser pulses are powerful tools with which to probe matter since their spectral, phase and polarisation parameters can to a degree be controlled. This has led to the field of attoscience where we now are on the cusp of observing electronic motion in matter. Biomolecules are one area where ultrafast phenomena are increasingly being recognised as central to biological processes such as photosynthesis, vision, and DNA damage and repair. To probe the fundamental of such dynamics and compare with theoretical models, it is necessary to study these molecules in the gas phase and to be able to mass analyse these systems which may have very high masses. In this talk I will describe an instrument which uses a laser induced acoustic desorption process to volatilise some simple biomolecular building blocks, ionise and fragment them with a femtosecond laser, and mass analyse the resulting ions. Our instrument can use either conventional time of flight or for very heavy masses a novel, very high resolution electrostatic ion trap mass spectrometer. The potential for using femtosecond lasers as ion sources for sensitive gas analysis and in determining the structural and dynamic properties of biomolecules will be discussed.