Alexander von Humboldt fellowship

Alexander von Humboldt fellowships for postdoctoral researchers usually award young scientists to perform valuable research activity in german scientific institutions. The fellowship awarded to Andrea, starting on the 1st of March for a maximum period of two years, will sponsor a project dedicated to the investigation of ultrafast molecular dynamics in complex molecules, where Andrea will exploit his expertise in laser science and electron dynamics in molecules, developed at the department of Physics - Polytechnic of Milan (Italy), in combination with the high value tradition and knowledge of CMI group in structure-resolved molecular physics.

In particular, the project will focus on a physical process known as Laser-Induced Electron Diffraction (LIED). In a typical LIED experiment, an ultraintense long-wavelength laser field is used to extract valence electrons from the molecule under study, accelerate them and bring back to the parent ion with high kinetic energy. The recollision of the photoelectrons with the molecular ion can lead to the creation of a coherent diffraction pattern in the far field, from which crucial information about the dynamical structure of the molecule can be retrieved, with a high spatio-temporal resolution.

In the CMI laboratories, Andrea will develop a new Mid-Infrared laser beam line and perform LIED experiments, with the final goal of disclosing ultrafast dynamics in complex molecular systems with an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. 

Congratulations Andrea, and good luck for your further research!