Ben Whitaker

Research section: Physical Chemistry

KEYWORDS Molecular Reaction Dynamics Velocity Map Imaging Quantum Coherent Control and Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy Evolutionary Chemistry Nanoscience

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Molecular reaction dynamics in both the frequency and time domain, particularly through the application of velocity map imaging. In the frequency domain, we use nanosecond lasers to study photofragment product state distributions through a combination of resonant multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and ion imaging. In the time domain, we use pump-probe techniques with femtosecond lasers and photoelectron/photoion imaging to study internal energy conversion and intersystems crossing in molecules such as NO2, pyrazine and azulene.

As we begin to understand more about the details of fundamental chemical processes we begin to understand how we might control them at the quantum level. We are working with acousto-optical programmable dispersive filters (AOPDFs) to modulate the spectral phase and amplitude of ultrashort pulses of light so as to implement coherent control schemes for chemical reactivity. We use genetic algorithms and other evolutionary computational methods to "teach" the modulator how to acheive a particular chemical outcome with a shaped pulse of light. This in turn leads us to an interest in other applications of evolutionary computing, particularly in nanoscience and molecular electronics.

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Bibliography    Research Opportunities    PICNIC    EPSRC grant report

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

NT Form, R Burbidge, J Ramon and BJ Whitaker Parameterization of an acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter for closed-loop learning experiments  JOURNAL OF MODERN OPTICS, 55 (2008)197

L Cronin, N Krasnogor, BG Davis, et al., The imitation game - a computational chemical approach to recognizing life  NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY, 24 (2006)1203

NT Form, BJ Whitaker, L Poisson, and B Soep, Time-resolved photoion and photoelectron imaging of NO2  PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS 8 (2006) 2925

BJ Whitaker (ed.), 'Imaging in Molecular Dynamics', Cambridge University Press, 2003