Related Content
Search Google Scholar for:
More Information
Related Jobs from ScienceCareers
|
|
Science 21 April 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5772, p. 333
DOI: 10.1126/science.312.5772.333d
|
|
This Week in Science
The time resolution of chemical dynamics studies has generally been limited by the duration of laser pulses used as probes. Pulse durations now approach 1 femtosecond (fs), but some molecular events occur on even more rapid time scales. Baker et al. (p. 424, published online 2 March; see the Perspective by Bucksbaum) show that an 8-fs laser pulse can be used to observe nuclear dynamics of H2 and methane after ionization with 0.1-fs (10-16 s) resolution. The technique relies on the electrons being ejected from the molecule by the laser pulse with a spread of velocities, which in turn leads to a spread, or chirp, in frequency of the photons released upon electron-ion recombination. The emitted photon frequency acts as a clock that is more precise than the excitation pulse.
|
|
Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)
