Dr. Erwin D. Poliakoff is supported by a grant from the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to study synchrotron radiation induced fluorescence from molecular ions. These measurements give valuable insight into how electronic and nuclear motions are correlated in excited molecules; moreover, these results will also tell us about the origins of various light sources in the galaxy. This work focuses on the correlation of electronic and nuclear motion (Franck-Condon breakdown), as well as related electron correlation effects (continuum coupling). Dispersed fluorescence has been used in previous work to demonstrate that resolution is not limited by the excitation band width. This capability will permit studies that would not otherwise be feasible, including work on the photoionization of van der Waals species, transfer of shape resonant character between ionization continua and fluorescence from doubly-charged diatomic ions.
