Research
Michael D. Morse
Research Accomplishments, Activities, and Future Directions
I. Research Objectives
Research in my group centers on the elucidation of the electronic structure and chemical bonding of small neutral and cationic metal clusters, semiconductor clusters, and unsaturated metal-ligand complexes via electronic spectroscopy. We employ a wide range of technologies from lasers to mass spectrometers to extract the information we seek. With these tools we work to understand the chemical bonding in these systems and to identify the determinants of molecular structure and reactivity, particularly in the complicated transition metal systems. This work provides detailed and fundamental knowledge about the inner workings of matter on a small scale that can help human kind better understand processes as seemingly diverse as the catalytic production of major industrial materials and the detection of molecules in interstellar space.
II. Research Methods
There are three instruments in my research group: a resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) spectrometer, a combined resonant two-photon ionization/dispersed fluorescence (R2PI/DF) spectrometer, and a cryo-cooled ion photodissociation spectrometer that is currently under construction. These three instruments all use the same source to create a molecular beam of reactive molecules, but then interrogate them in complementary ways. Click on the topic of interest below to learn more about that instrument.
Resonant Two-Photon Ionization (R2PI) Spectrometer
Dispersed Fluorescence (DF) Spectrometer
The Cryo-cooled Ion Photodissociation Spectrometer
III. Research Accomplishments
First Measurements of Bond Lengths