News

Overview of all news from the Controlled Molecule Imaging Group

Conformer-specific polar Diels–Alder cycloadditions published and selected as Highlight by Nat. Comm.

18 October 2021

There has been a long-standing discussion whether Diels–Alder cycloadditions proceed via stepwise or concerted mechanisms. By combining a conformationally controlled molecular beam with trapped ions, we explored the mechanism of the model polar cycloaddition of conformer-specific 2,3-dibromo-1,3-butadiene with propene ions under single-collision conditions in the gas phase. Both conformers of the diene are reactive with capture-limited reaction rates and a simultaneous competition of concerted and stepwise reaction pathways was found.

Read more

Publication on actively learning potential-energy surfaces of molecules

13 October 2021

Using the Born-Oppenheimer approximation requires potential energy surface (PES) for reliable simulations of nuclear dynamics in molecules. Calculating PESs for weakly-bound complexes is especially difficult and computationally expensive due to the loosely bound nature of the intermolecular interactions, which results in a complicated shape of the PESs with potentially several local minima and saddle points.

Read more

Novel procedure for spinning molecules

07 June 2021

Researchers from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY proposed a novel procedure for spinning molecules to tremendously high speeds of several trillion times per second, while keeping control over the axis of their rotation. The results were reported in an article "Controlling rotation in the molecular-frame with in optical centrifuge”, recently published in the Physical Review Research Journal.

Read more

Helen Bieker successfully defended her doctoral thesis

29 January 2021

Helen Bieker successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Dissociation dynamics of size-selected water dimer” on Friday, 29th January 2021.

Read more