Most forensic studies deal with the identification and characterization of a sample, which is the evidence of some crime activity, comparison of samples coming from different sources, and interpretation of the results obtained in the context of the events. X-ray instrumentation has been commonly used in forensic science and also in some related fields such as Cultural Heritage objects...
Since the dawn of the chirped-pulse era [1], rotational spectroscopy emerged as an outstanding tool for structure-solving, enabling novel exploratory approaches with unprecedented tracing capabilities [2]. The enhanced sensitivity and broadband capabilities of chirped-pulse microwave spectroscopy unlocked investigations into increasingly intricate molecular species [3], including notable...
The molecular complexity in the interstellar medium increases in cold molecular clouds, at approximately 10 K. It is then important to establish the reactivation rate constants in chemical networks taking place in gas phase, as alternative to those taking place on cosmic ices. At 10 K, quantum effects, such as tunneling and zero point energies are very important. Complex forming reactions are...
The CREMA collaboration is pursuing a measurement of the ground-state hyperfine splitting (HFS) in muonic hydrogen (ยตp) with 1 ppm accuracy by means of pulsed laser spectroscopy to determine the two-photon-exchange contribution with $2ร10^{โ4}$ relative accuracy. In the proposed experiment, the ยตp atom undergoes a laser excitation from the singlet hyperfine state to the triplet hyperfine...
In today's world, the great pollution puzzle is undoubtedly the greatest challenge facing the world's population. Dioxins and dibenzofurans are persistent organic pollutants (POPs); the more toxic forms correspond to their tetrachlorinated derivatives, 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin (TCDD) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF). The reduction of their emissions, the elimination of...
Two-dimensional materials are comprised of single- or few-layers of atoms arranged in a crystalline lattice structure. These materials exhibit unique properties due to their ultrathinness and the ability to adjust the number of layers. The research field surrounding these materials has gained significant interest since the discovery of graphene and its derivatives [1]. Recently, other 2D...
We present recent results on the photophysics and optical properties of
nanographenes. The first part of the talk focuses on the photophysics of cove-edge hexa-peri-hexabenzo-bis-peri-octacenes. The remarkable light emission properties and lack of excited state absorption upon solvation give rise to net stimulated emission and amplified spontaneous emission, largely enabled by the cove-edge...
Heritage science has one of its most interesting fields of research on the analysis of colour materials of what ancient Artworks are made of. In the last few years, special attention has been given to in-situ non-invasive approaches, such as the use of mapping elemental analysis (MA-XRF) and molecular analytical techniques (UV-Vis-NIR-FORS and hyperspectral imaging analysis).
In this work,...
please see attached
Solar-powered laser systems directly convert free broadband and incoherent solar radiation into narrowband and coherent laser radiation through an active medium, being considered as one of the most promising technologies in renewable energy research.
Our research group, led by Prof. Dr. Dawei Liang, was established more than a decade ago with the aim of substantially improving the...
The ionization of molecules in the condensed phase is driven by the interactions established with the environment. In fact, for some aromatic molecules dissolved in water, the formation of the fully separated charges (cation+electron) has been found after exciting at the onset of their electronic absorption, well below the gas-phase ionization potentials.[1,2] By using transient absorption...
Azobenzene molecules present TRANS-CIS isomerization capabilities about the N=N bound, which can be induced with light. The TRANS conformation, naturally the most energetically stable at room temperature, can be converted into CIS conformation under the action of light, with the rate of TRANS-CIS-TRANS conversion for a given molecular system dependent on temperature and light, namely light...
One of the most fundamental questions in molecular dynamics is the dependence of a collision outcome on the relative orientation/alignment of the reactants, i. e. the stereodynamics of a collision process. For bimolecular gas phase reactions, it is possible to address this question by polarizing the reactants bond-axis and/or rotational angular momentum.[1-4]
Here, we will illustrate how...
For nearly a century, the role of quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) in organic chemistry remained barely unrecognized. The interpretation of chemical selectivity has been done solely based on the classical paradigms of thermodynamic and kinetic control. However, it has recently been shown that these paradigms do not cover all aspects of chemical reactivity and QMT can also direct chemical...
The Universe is molecularly rich [1]. Its chemical diversity and complexity are reflected by the more than 290 molecular species detected in the gaseous phase by means of radioastronomy [2] and the different solid-state phases in the form of dust grains [3]. The presence of the gas-phase molecules cannot be explained uniquely by reactions taking place in the gas phase but chemical reactions...
AMBER (Apparatus for Meson and Baryon Experimental Research) is an experiment located on the M2 beam line of CERN SPS. The understanding of the origin of the visible mass in the universe is one of its physics goals. It is known that the Higgs boson mechanism alone is not sufficient to explain the mass of a nucleon. Another phenomenon must interplay with it to explain the emergence of the...
NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC) is an experiment that searches for neutrinoless double beta decay in $^{136}$Xe using a high pressure xenon (HPXe) gas time projection chamber with electroluminescent (EL) amplification. The aim is to determine whether neutrinos are Majorana particles (i.e. they are their own antiparticle) or not, having huge implications in cosmology and particle...
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as a versatile technique for elemental analysis, offering high-resolution and real-time measurements, while being minimally destructive. This powerful analytical technique holds significant promise in various fields, including academia, technology, and industry. However, several challenges hinder its widespread adoption and limit its...
The development of radiation detectors has seen significant advancements over the past decades, particularly in those relying on electroluminescence. Optical time projection chambers (OTPCs) have become the preferred choice in the field of direct dark matter searches (more specifically in WIMP searches), having also been considered for neutrino experiments. Dark matter experiments examples...
