This research, part of the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, is designed to investigate the dynamics and energy levels of isolated gas phase molecules. This knowledge is pivotal to the understanding of chemical bonding and the mechanisms of chemical reactions. The ions and the kinetic energy distribution of the electrons produced by ultraviolet laser induced ionization will be monitored using time of flight methods. Supersonic beam technology is used to cool the species studied, thereby simplifying the rotational structure attendant upon the electronic transitions studied. The time dependence of intramolecular vibration relaxation and electronic relaxation will be studied. The results of this research will be both novel and complementary to that obtained using conventional absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Among the species to be studied are p-difluorobenzene, benzene, benzaldehyde, biphenyl, and several diatomic molecules.
