Optically-Enhanced Electron Attachment to Electronically- Excited Molecules and Photofragments

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Professor Christophorou is supported by a grant from the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to study electron attachment to electronically excited states of molecules. These measurements are of interest in radiation chemistry, for example. When ionizing radiation slows down due to interactions with matter it produces an abundance of excited molecules or fragments of molecules and slow electrons. The high probability of capture of slow electrons by excited molecules is Professor Christophorou's important discovery. This project will identify molecules which can be excited to superexcited states and determine whether the observed extremely large cross sections for electron attachment to low-lying excited states are common to all molecules. These measurements are difficult because one has to first produce large numbers of electronically excited molecules then carry out electron attachment measurements before they relax back to the ground electronic state.