Final Report GR/M70186/01 Imaging the Photofragmentation of Molecular Ions

Proposal GR/M70186 followed fairly close on the heels of a related funding application (GR/M20402). GR/M20402 sought modest equipment/consumables funding to allow a number of modifications to an existing ion imaging apparatus, plus a contribution towards the salary of a technician and a project studentship. In the event, all bar the studentship was awarded. This decision was seemingly based on the fact (flagged in the proposal) that the Bristol group had recently been awarded 3 years funding for a postdoctoral fellow to undertake ion imaging work within the EU TMR network IMAGINE. The fact that the two projects had different scientific objectives seemed not to matter! This left me in an awkward position, since it seemed unlikely that the one PDRA would have time to attempt to satisfy all objectives listed in both proposals. In the event we gambled, accepted EPSRC grant GR/M20402, embarked on redesigning the imaging spectrometer, and submitted a further application to EPSRC for funding for a project student to work on the resulting apparatus. Fortunately this subsequent application was successful, and the resulting award GR/M70186 – is the subject of this Final Report. As demonstrated in what follows, apart from our having thus far concentrated mainly on diatomic (rather than small polyatomic systems), all of the objectives proposed in both GR/M20402 and GR/M70186 have been achieved – to a higher standard than I would have dared hope at the outset. This is in large part due to the skill and determination of two successive EU funded PDRAs (Dr Eckart Wrede and Dr Eloy Wouters), of the EPSRC supported project student, Mr Marco Beckert, and of various undergraduate students who have assisted with the project. Given their proximity in time, it was inevitable that some of the science described in proposal GR/M20402 was repeated in the Case for Support for GR/M70186. The outcomes from this earlier grant (end date 31/12/01) were assessed as being ‘internationally leading’ for Research Quality, Research Practice and Planning and Potential Scientific Impact. There was no output of Research Staff from the grant. Communication of Research Outputs and Cost Effectiveness were judged as ‘outstanding’ while potential benefits to society were deemed to be ‘tending to outstanding’. The start of the present report necessarily summarises the Final Report for GR/M20402 which can be read in its entirety at http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/pt/laser/laserhom.htm.