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Manipulating the motion of large molecules

The work group "Manipulating the motion of large molecules" within the Department of Molecular Physics of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society develops methods to get full control over large molecules and to apply these methods in fundamental physics and chemistry studies. The research group is headed by Jochen Küpper under the departmental directorship of Gerard Meijer.

Manipulation techniques

In our experiments we are using electric fields to manipulate the translations and rotations of large molecules. This ranges from dc electric fields in the electric equivalent of the Stern Gerlach deflector over switched electric fields in AC guides and decelerators to high-frequency laser fields for alignment and mixed field orientation of the molecules.

We have demonstrated the quantum-state and conformer (structural isomer) selection, the alignment and orientation, and the deceleration of large and complex molecules. We have also been involved in experiments exploiting decelerated small molecules in prototype experiments for spectroscopic purposes, in storage rings, and in microstructured molecular optics experiments.

See the various links in the sidebar on the left for details, or the research overview for a summary of the various projects we are involved in.

Applications

We have demonstrated that the quantum-state-selected polar ensembles produces by our methods allow unprecedented degrees of alignment and orientation. Such state- and conformer-selected oriented ensembles are ideal samples for diffractive imaging studies of gas-phase molecules, for high-harmonic generation and tomographic imaging, for molecular-frame photoelectron-angular-distribution studies, for reactive scattering, and many other experiments in chemistry and physics.

The team

You can learn more about the group members on our Workgroup page and also at the Collaborations page.