High-resolution laser spectroscopy with electrons and ions

Our research interests focus on experimental and computational study of a wide range of molecular systems, with a particular emphasis on non-covalent interactions in molecular complexes. Our experimental methodology of choice is gas phase electronic laser spectroscopy which we combine with state-of-the-art computational chemistry to elucidate the conformations adopted by molecules in the gas phase and to determine how these conformations change in response to changes in electronic state. In the context of our interests in van der Waals complexes, our aim is to identify the most energetically favoured conformation in each electronic state involved in an electronic transition and to ascertain the extent to which the stability of each conformer depends on the electronic environment of the chromophore: such considerations have particular resonance in the fields of molecular association and recognition.