In this project in the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Brucat will study the gas-phase photodissociation spectroscopy of transition-metal molecular ions. He will use optical probes, such as resonant two-photon dissociation spectroscopy and stimulated emission pumping, in order to learn about metal-metal and metal-ligand bond energies. %%% The studies in this project are aimed at understanding the fundamental bonding interactions in clusters. With the results of such work, the interactions between atoms in an ionic crystal or in a solvent may be more readily comprehended. Such an understanding might then be used to predict, for example, the course of chemical reactions in solution or the structure of the surface of a metal catalyst.
