Investigating the intermolecular coulombic decay in gas phase molecules

• Grant number: 25/07261-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: August 15, 2025
• End date: August 14, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Arnaldo Naves de Brito
• Grantee: Alan Guilherme Falkowski
• Supervisor: Lorenz S Cederbaum
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Heidelberg University, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/17762-5 - Establishing x-ray-induced non-local decay as a probe to the first solvation shell, BP.PD

Abstract

Photon spectroscopies, including photoelectron and absorption/emission techniques, are crucial for investigating the electronic and structural properties of matter and have allowed the discovery of less dominant processes, such as interatomic or intermolecular Coulombic decay. It involves non-local transfer of energy or electrons in weakly bound systems, leading to practical applications in understanding secondary electron production and charge transfer, especially in discharge environments. Recent experiments have revealed this type of decay even in gas-phase systems of unbound monomers. To explore this phenomenon, the proposed project aims to develop a theoretical protocol to validate the experimental hypotheses.