Cold and Controlled Collision Dynamics
Understanding the quantum nature of chemical reactions
Our group investigates fundamental reaction mechanisms and the chemical evolution in space. For this, we use and advance techniques such as laser cooling and trapping. These methods allow us to study and control chemical reactions under single-collision conditions at energies corresponding to temperatures from mK to a few K, where quantum effects dominate. Besides that, we are also involved in beamtimes at large laser facilities which allow us to track laser-induced chemical reaction dynamics in real time.
Our research focuses on:
- Cold and quantum-state-controlled chemistry: Study of low-energy reactive neutral-neutral and ion-neutral collisions, including the development of new experimental methods.
- Ultrafast laser spectroscopy and dynamics: Real-time investigations of photoinduced processes to uncover the underlying dynamics.
- High-resolution laser spectroscopy of molecular ions: Spectroscopic studies to gain insight into molecular structure and interactions.
Katrin Erath-Dulitz
Assistant professor
DPhil, 2014, University of Oxford, England
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Affiliations
Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck
Katrin Erath-Dulitz investigates chemical reactions under conditions dominated by quantum effects, aiming to understand fundamental reaction mechanisms and astrochemistry. She earned her DPhil from the University of Oxford for the magnetic deceleration of supersonic beams. After a postdoc on the high-resolution spectroscopy of molecular cations at ETH Zurich, she worked on chemistry studies involving ultracold atoms and doped helium nanodroplets at the University of Freiburg. From 2018-2022, she was a Liebig Fellow, and was intermittently a Fraunhofer Attract group leader at Fraunhofer ISE in 2022.