Jan 31
Chemistry Department Seminar: Munira Khalil (University of WA-Seattle)
Why and how should we think about chemistry on the timescale of a femtosecond (one millionth of one billionth of a second)? The absorption of light by chemical and biochemical reagents results in material changes in a few femtoseconds, which is comparable to the timescale of a molecular vibration. These ubiquitous processes are responsible for the elementary steps in photosynthesis, vision and DNA photodamage. The Khalil research group at the University of Washington develops new experimental tools using light pulses of many colors, from the infrared to X-rays to study ultrafast chemical phenomena. This talk will describe how new multicolor techniques are uncovering details of the ways in which light energy is transformed into chemical and mechanical motion.