Ultrafast Intra-Molecular Electron Dynamics

The study of dynamic processes in nature continues to breach new frontiers as the timescales and dimensions under investigation shrink. These advances have gone hand-in-hand with generation of ever shorter light pulses from conventional laser and accelerator based sources, which are exploited as ultrafast strobes for observing the dynamics of matter. While the motion of atoms can now be tracked with femtosecond pulses of light, the recent advent of attosecond pulses (a billion billionth of a second) has the potential to capture the movement of electrons. The ability to observe and control this quantum electronics will be essential for the future understanding and exploitation of electrical, chemical, and biological processes in natural and synthetic nano-structures.

In this project, coherent charge dynamics in some exemplar biological frameworks, amino acids and small peptides, will be generated and observed using a state-of-the-art attosecond laser. These laboratory measurements will probe the ultrafast movement of charge created by ionising radiation from which some of the remarkable electrical properties of these complex biological molecules will be discerned. Ultimately, the pathways for understanding the role of the underlying molecular structures and methods for quantum control of the electrons will be investigated.

The results and outcomes of the research from this project will have a direct impact in number of UK and EU networks and laser infrastructures in which the project researchers are already participating, e.g. EPSRC Grand Challenge Networks, the STFC Central Laser Facility, COST Actions, and the European Extreme Light Infrastructure. The research methodology will instigate state-of-the-art training in a range of emerging technologies for participating PhD students which will include development of public dissemination skills through production of videos, websites and animations on the research.