Research
Many things can happen when a gas-phase molecule collides with a surface, for example it can scatter back into the gas-phase, or it can react, or it might transfer energy to the surface and remain trapped on the surface. What happens depends on a variety of factors, including how fast the molecule is travelling and the temperature and material of the surface. It also depends on the rotational-orientation of the molecule, which classically corresponds to whether the molecule is rotating like a helicopter or a cartwheel as it approaches the surface.
In our research group, we use the unique magnetic molecular interferometry apparatus pictured below to control and manipulate the rotational-orientation projection states (and nuclear-spin projection states) of closed-shell molecules such as hydrogen before they collide with a surface, and study how this affects the outcome of the collision. Previous work has shown that collisions of hydrogen with a LiF surface rotationally polarise the molecule, and that it is possible to change the probability a deuterium molecule is stopped rotating by a collision with a Cu(111) surface just by changing the rotational-orientation projection state. Our current focus is to further develop the methodology to determine if it is possible to control the reaction of molecules with the surface just by changing the rotational-orientation of the molecule.
