Title: Time evolution of excited molecules

Speaker: Dr. Koushik Saha, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Abstract: Stable molecules under the effect of external perturbation, from photon, electron, or ion interaction, attain various excited states. This excited system relaxes by different mechanisms at different timescales after the perturbation. By studying the time evolution of such excited molecular systems, different types of relaxation mechanisms involved in the de-excitation process can be probed as a function of time, thus, yielding vital information about the underlying dynamics. In this talk, I will present the experimental studies we have conducted to understand the time evolution of excited molecules. I will discuss about the relaxation mechanisms that occur in ultraslow timescales in large molecules and also present the experimental techniques to probe molecular dynamics in ultrafast regime. The unique dynamics that trapped ions exhibit within an electrostatic trap will also be discussed.