CAREER: Theoretical Investigations of Changes in Photodissociation and Reaction Dynamics by Dimer and Small Cluster Formation

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Professor Anne McCoy of Ohio State University is supported by a CAREER grant from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program to examine theoretically the photodissociation and reaction dynamics of elementary systems composed of several atoms. A general approach will be developed to approximate the quantum effects of large systems by treating a few degrees of freedom quantum mechanically and the remainder of the system classically. This method will be applied to a number of systems where detailed experimental data exist. Novel educational ideas will be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses, including cooperative learning environments in lectures and recitations, and use of the world wide web for information dissemination via course homepages. By probing photodissociation and reaction dynamics under conditions where comparisons to experiments can be made, an important step is made in the connection between gas phase phenomena and more complicated chemistry occuring in the condensed phase. To make chemistry more relevant to students, they will be actively encouraged to think about concepts and their implications, rather than specific problem-solving techniques.