Unprecedented Study Reveals Molecular Charge Migration Speed

Researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology have successfully measured the speed of molecular charge migration (CM) in a carbon-chain molecule using a high harmonic spectroscopy (HHS) method. By reconstructing the CM dynamics at the most fundamental level, the team achieved a temporal resolution of 50 attoseconds and quantified the CM speed to be several angstrom per femtosecond. The study provides valuable insights into CM dynamics in molecules and opens up possibilities for manipulating chemical reactions by controlling CM speed through molecular alignment.