Assembly and spectroscopic interrogation of large atomic and molecular clusters in helium droplets

在这项由化学系实验物理化学计划资助的奖项中，南加州大学的Andrey Vilesov教授将与他的研究生研究人员一起，研究超冷、超流体氦液滴中原子和分子物种的聚集。要研究的物种包括金属原子、甲烷、水、氨、氯化氢和仲氢团簇等。团簇的大小从几个原子/分子到数千万种溶质物种不等。这些研究的目标是研究分子之间如何相互作用，以及如何在广泛的尺寸范围内与这种相当不寻常的溶剂相互作用。实验将在气相中用质谱学和激光光谱学的方法进行。这类研究的最终目的是了解物质在极不寻常的环境中相互作用的新方式。在这项工作中要研究的大团簇介于分子和大块(介观尺度)之间，并被预测具有不寻常的性质。Vilesov提议研究的非常大的氦液滴可能会成为制造各种有趣的新材料的有用工具。与Vilesov教授合作的学生将在多个高科技领域接受出色的培训--包括激光、真空科学和电子学。维列索夫教授在国际合作方面有着深厚的历史，这很可能会继续这项工作。

In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Andrey Vilesov of the University of Southern California, together with his graduate student researchers, will study the aggregation of atomic and molecular species in ultracold, superfluid helium droplets. Species to be studied include metal atoms, methane, water, ammonia, hydrogen chloride and parahydrogen clusters, among others. Cluster sizes span the range from a few atoms/molecules to tens of millions of solute species. The goal of these studies is to investigate how molecules interact with each other and with this rather unusual solvent over a wide range of size. The experiments will be carried out in the gas phase with mass spectrometric and laser spectroscopic methods. The ultimate aim of research like this is to learn about new ways in which matter can interact in a highly unusual environment. The large clusters to be studied in this work are intermediate between molecular and bulk (mesoscale) and are predicted to have unusual properties. The very large helium droplets that Vilesov proposes studying may be useful vehicles for making interesting kinds of new materials. Students working with Prof. Vilesov will receive excellent training in a number of areas of high-technology -- including lasers, vacuum science and electronics. Prof. Vilesov has a strong history of international collaboration, and this will likely continue with this work.