Applications of Attosecond Pulses in Chemistry

Observing and Controlling Electrons

The emergence of attosecond measurement tools has opened up the possibility to observe and control electrons in molecules on their intrinsic timescale. This is particularly important because electrons play a crucial role in chemical reactions and the formation of molecules.

Exciting Electronic States

Due to the time-energy uncertainty principle, attosecond or sub-femtosecond pulses have a large spectral bandwidth and can excite coherently several electronic states, i.e., electronic wavepackets. These wavepackets are non-stationary and undergo pure electron dynamics called charge migration.

Investigating Electron Dynamics

Recent theoretical works have investigated the application of attosecond science to polyatomic molecules. In particular, they discuss the photoionization dynamics, the electron dynamics of electronic wavepackets notably the induced symmetry breaking, the electronic decoherence caused by nuclear motion but also the search for long-lived electronic coherence and electronic recoherence, the experimental observations of electron dynamics, and finally the charge-directed-reactivity, i.e., the nuclear dynamics induced by electronic wavepackets.

Tracking Electron Motion

Researchers have used attosecond X-ray pulses to track electron motion in a highly excited quantum state of matter. This allows them to peer deep inside molecules and follow electrons as they zip around and ultimately initiate chemical reactions.

In summary, attosecond pulses provide a powerful tool for chemists to study ultrafast processes at the electron level, offering unprecedented insights into chemical reactions and molecular dynamics.