Turgay Uzer is supported by a grant from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program to perform theoretical studies of energy flow in atomic and molecular systems. Classical, quantal, and semi-classical techniques will be used to study dynamics of Rydberg atoms and molecules in static external fields, photoionization and photodissociation in intense laser fields, and vibrational energy transfer between adsorbates and substrates on well-characterized surfaces. One of the overall aims of the research is to identify the transferable motifs in the dynamics, like mechanisms, time scales and the influence of couplings and anharmonicities, which persist in proceeding in complexity from atoms to surfaces. Laser desorption from metal surfaces, and laser photoionization are technologically important processes which are not well understood at the molecular level. They depend on a details of the energy flow between the various degrees of freedom with the molecule and between the molecule and the surface. Uzer's research will help to provide a molecular level characterization of these processes.
