Dr. Ruaridh J. G. Forbes
Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Investigating Ultrafast Dynamics in Polyatomic Molecules with Inner-shell Ionization
Location: 1080 Physics Research Building, Smith Seminar Room
Faculty Host: Lou DiMauro
Abstract: The invention of free-electron lasers capable of producing intense pulses of short wavelength light has enabled new time-resolved studies into photo dynamics in a site-selective manner. By choosing a suitable photon energy, photoabsorption can be highly localized at an individual atomic orbital within a molecule. My talk will focus on a series of investigations into ultrafast processes using site-selective soft x-ray ionization and how these novel techniques offer unique information of phenomena like charge transfer and non-adiabatic coupling in polyatomic molecules. The talk will conclude with new opportunities to extend these techniques to understand the evolving molecular structures via correlation analysis.
Bio: Ruaridh Forbes is a Staff Scientist at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. His research focuses on experimental ultrafast spectroscopy, inner shell processes and strong-field physics in polyatomic molecules as well as development of high average power and high repetition rate laser sources. Ruaridh obtained his MSc in Chemical Physics from the University of Edinburgh before starting graduate school at University College London. The majority of his graduate work was carried out at the National Research Council of Canada under the supervision of Prof. Albert Stolow. He then joined the Stanford PULSE Insitute as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the group of Prof. Philip Bucksbaum before joining the Laser Science department of LCLS in 2020 to lead aspects of the LCLS II laser R&D program. Ruaridh has been the recipient of numerous highly competitive beamtimes at both international facilities and leads numerous collaborative efforts at cutting-edge light sources.