Headlines 2010

Visualizing the motion of electrons in matter requires both a spatial resolution at the Angstrom scale and a temporal resolution at the attosecond scale (1 as = 10^-18 s). Such an "ultra-fast camera" opening a path towards "viewing the electrons" is demonstrated: it allows imaging molecular orbitals using the ultra-short attosecond emission from this orbital in an intense laser field. In a close collaboration, scientists from IRAMIS-SPAM, LCPMR of the Univ. Paris 6 and from CNRS (UMR 7614) have shown, in experiments realized within the CEA-Saclay, the possibility of an "Attosecond-Angstrom" imaging in the case of the nitrogen molecule N₂.

By comparison with experimental data obtained specifically for this purpose by scientists of IRAMIS / SPAM, it is possible to select the best ab initio method able to give the parameters of "force field" models to faithfully reproduce the structure of assemblies of atoms, as complex as proteins (macromolecule composed of amino acids) or peptides (small polymers of amino acids, n <50).

By comparison with experimental data obtained specifically for this purpose by scientists of IRAMIS / SPAM, it is possible to select the best ab initio method able to give the parameters of "force field" models to faithfully reproduce the structure of assemblies of atoms, as complex as proteins (macromolecule composed of amino acids) or peptides (small polymers of amino acids, n <50).