CMM > Methods

Methods

The Centre for Molecular Movies employs a very wide range of modern analytical methods, both experimental and theoretical, but at the very heart of most work is the “pump and probe” method. This is described in further detail on the following pages, along with descriptions of other of the most widely used techniques.

• Pump-Probe technique

  In order to do finely time-resolved measurements, it is imperative that there is a well-defined starting point for the process or phenomena that is to be studied. This is most often accomplished by pumping the system into a new state, which is subsequently probed.

• Spectroscopy

  A very versatile method for investigating the properties of molecules is by examining their light absorption and emission properties. This gives information about the energy levels of the molecules in question and can be done to a very high degree of accuracy, both with respect to energy and time resolution.

• Theoretical modelling

  As time-resolved measurements only very rarely yield enough information to directly derive for instance the molecular structure of reaction intermediates, advanced modelling techniques are necessary for the interpretation of data.

• Data analysis

  A key effort of the Centre over the past three years has been the development of advanced data analysis routines for handling the large amount of information generated by even a single experimental run at a synchrotron source.