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Originally published in Science Express on 10 November 2005
Science 16 December 2005:
Vol. 310. no. 5755, pp. 1790 - 1793
DOI: 10.1126/science.1120693
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Reports

Real-Time Observation of Molecular Motion on a Surface

Ellen H. G. Backus,1 Andreas Eichler,2 Aart W. Kleyn,1,3 Mischa Bonn1,4

The laser-induced movement of CO molecules over a platinum surface was followed in real time by means of ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy. Because the CO molecules bound on different surface sites exhibit different C–O stretch vibrational frequencies, the site-to-site hopping, triggered by excitation with a laser pulse, can be determined from subpicosecond changes in the vibrational spectra. The unexpectedly fast motion—characterized by a 500-femtosecond time constant—reveals that a rotational motion of the CO molecules, rather than pure translation, is required for this diffusion process. This conclusion is corroborated by density functional theory calculations.

1 Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Post Office Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands.
2 Institut für Materialphysik and Center for Computational Materials Science, Universität Wien, Sensengasse 8/12, A-1090 Wien, Austria.
3 Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM) Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen, Post Office Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein, Netherlands.
4 FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Kruislaan 407, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Quantitative Vibrational Dynamics of Iron in Carbonyl Porphyrins.
B. M. Leu, N. J. Silvernail, M. Z. Zgierski, G. R. A. Wyllie, M. K. Ellison, W. R. Scheidt, J. Zhao, W. Sturhahn, E. E. Alp, and J. T. Sage (2007)
Biophys. J. 92, 3764-3783
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)