Research summary
Our world is composed of molecules and atoms. It is generally thought that the static shape of a particular molecule or the structure of a solid determines what it does. But complex and dynamic molecular processes like photochemistry, vision, charge transfer and light harvesting cannot be understood from a static perspective.
As Canada Research Chair in Molecular Photonics, Dr. Albert Stolow is using powerful new ultrafast techniques to study molecular electronic dynamics and coherent nonlinear microscopy. Using advanced pulsed molecular beam and particle detection techniques to make ultrafast “movies,” he and his research team are learning about the electronic/atomic motions that underlie the dynamic processes of nature. This understanding will aid in developing enhanced chemical imaging methods that can be applied to biophotonics and geophotonics.