Quantum State-Resolved Structure and Dynamics of C Fullerenes.

The C fullerene molecule has been the subject of intense study for four decades, starting with its identification in the mass spectra of carbon soot in 1985. In this review, we focus on the achievement of ultra-high-resolution spectroscopy of gas phase neutral C, heralded by the observation of quantum state-resolved infrared spectra in 2019. C is now the largest and most symmetric molecule for which rovibrational quantum state resolution has been achieved, motivating the use of large molecules for studying complex quantum systems with symmetries and degrees of freedom not readily available in other composite systems.

Ergodicity breaking in rapidly rotating C fullerenes.

Ergodicity, the central tenet of statistical mechanics, requires an isolated system to explore all available phase space constrained by energy and symmetry. Mechanisms for violating ergodicity are of interest for probing nonequilibrium matter and protecting quantum coherence in complex systems. Polyatomic molecules have long served as a platform for probing ergodicity breaking in vibrational energy transport.

Measurement of delayed fluorescence in N with a streak camera.

Using a streak camera, we directly measure time- and space-resolved dynamics of emission from a self-seeded filament. Fluorescence emission does not start with ionization, but with a delay in the tenth of ps range.