The focus of our research interests is two-fold:
* Developing a molecular-level understanding of the dynamics of chemical reactions occurring in solution, and;
* Gaining a deep, detailed insight into the dynamics and mechanisms of ultrafast (femto- and picosecond) photoinduced processes.
Our primary interest is "real time" investigation of ultrafast excited-state dynamics, bond rupture, and rearrangement of liquid-phase small polyatomic molecules, with most attention currently centered on polyhalogenated alkanes and transition metal complexes. The knowledge of the interplay between the initially populated Franck-Condon region, adiabatic/non-adiabatic excited-state dynamics, energy flow and solute-solvent interactions, is of central importance for achieving control over the photoreaction path. In our research, we use state-of-the-art experimental methods of ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy, primarily deep-UV-through-near-IR pump/probe and laser pump/x-ray absorption probe.