A step towards a better understanding of molecular dynamics

© 2020 EPFL - Researchers, working at the boundary between classical and quantum physics, have developed a method for quickly spotting molecules with particularly interesting electron properties. Laser technology is giving scientists an ever-closer look into molecular structures, and this sometimes leads to very interesting surprises. At EPFL's Laboratory of Theoretical Physical Chemistry (LCPT), a research team studying the dynamics of polyatomic molecules - molecules made up of several atoms - came across one such surprise. They found that electrons in these molecules move quite differently from what would be expected in isolated atoms. In isolated atoms, the oscillations of electron density are regular, but in most polyatomic molecules, the oscillations quickly become damped. This process is known as decoherence. However, in some molecules the oscillations last longer before decoherence sets in.