Making molecules into atoms

Atoms and Molecules

An atom is a system formed by a pack of electrically charged particles Q called nucleus and N identical particles of charge q − . Molecules are systems with several nuclei which may not necessarily be identical . In almost all matter, the nuclei are conglomerates of neutrons and protons and the N remaining particles are electrons. Other atomic systems will be described in the exotic atoms section.

Molecules, Atoms, and Nuclei

Quantum Mechanics of Atoms & Molecules

These are a set of notes I have made, based on lectures given by Y.Xian at the University of Manchester Jan-June ’08. Please e-mail me with any comments/corrections: [email protected].

Fast metastable hydrogen atoms from H2 molecules: twin atoms

It is a difficult task to obtain “twin atoms”, i.e. pairs of massive particles such that one can perform experiments in the same fashion that is routinely done with “twin photons”. One possible route to obtain such pairs is by dissociating homonuclear diatomic molecules. We address this possibility by investigating the production of metastable H(2s) atoms coming from the dissociation of cold H2...

Ultrafast Electron Diffraction of Atoms and Molecules

A new scientific instrument at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory promises to capture some of nature's speediest processes. It uses a method known as ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) and can reveal motions of electrons and atomic nuclei within molecules that take place in less than a tenth of a trillionth of a second – information that will benefit groundbreakin...