Research Frontiers
Where Physics Meets the Molecular World
At the University of Arizona, our Chemical Physics researchers are tackling the most fundamental questions in science. Our work is organized into four primary pillars that leverage our unique experimental capabilities and theoretical expertise.
Ultrafast Dynamics & Attosecond Science
We are pushing the boundaries of the "time barrier." By generating pulses of light that last only a few hundred attoseconds, we can freeze the motion of electrons within atoms and molecules.
- Key Focus: Real-time observation of electron transfer, charge migration in DNA, and the control of quantum states in matter.
- Faculty: Hassan, Golubev, Huxter
Quantum Materials & Interface Science
Understanding how energy and charge move across boundaries is critical for the next generation of technology. We investigate how molecular structures behave when confined to two dimensions or placed at the interface of organic and inorganic materials.
- Key Focus: Twisted bilayer ice, graphene-water interfaces, organic semiconductors, and 2D materials for quantum information.
- Faculty: Monti, Hassan, Stafford
Molecular Spectroscopy & Chemical Imaging
We use light and magnetic resonance to "see" what was previously invisible. From the structural dynamics of lipid bilayers to the electronic fingerprints of gaseous ions, we develop new ways to probe the architecture of nature.
- Key Focus: Solid-state NMR of biological membranes, photoelectron imaging, and high-resolution molecular spectroscopy.
- Faculty: Brown, Sanov, Huxter
Theoretical & Computational Chemical Physics
Theory is the compass that guides our experimental discovery. We develop sophisticated mathematical models and computational simulations to predict how complex systems evolve under extreme conditions.
- Key Focus: Nonequilibrium many-body theory, quantum transport in nanostructures, and the simulation of ultrafast light-matter interactions.
- Faculty: Stafford, Golubev