Methods for studying the coherent 4D structural dynamics of free molecules and condensed state of matter

Abstract

Studies in the coupled 4D spatial and temporal continuum are necessary for understanding the dynamic features of molecular systems with a complex profile of the potential energy surface. The introduction of time sweep into diffraction methods and the development of principles for studying coherent processes have revealed new approaches to the analysis of the dynamics of wave packets, the intermediate products and the transition state of the reaction center, and short-lived compounds in gaseous and condensed media. The use of picosecond and femtosecond electron probe pulses, synchronized with excitation laser pulses, determined the development of ultrafast electron crystallography, time-resolved X-ray diffraction, and dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM). One of the most promising applications of the developed diffraction methods is the characterization and visualization of the processes occurring upon the photoexcitation of free molecules and biological objects and the analysis of surface and thin films. The whole set of spectral and diffraction methods based on different physical principles, which are complementary and make it possible to perform the photoexcitation of nuclei and electrons and carry out diagnostics of their dynamics at ultrashort time sequences, reveal new possibilities for studies with the necessary integration of the “structure-dynamics-function” triad in chemistry, biology, and materials science.