Jerry LaRue

Investigating the Ultrafast Dynamics of Catalytic Reactions on Metal Surfaces
Presenter Jerry LaRue, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Session Title Attosecond FELs:  Capturing the Dynamics of Electrons in the Time Domain
Abstract Catalysts are widely used for important industrial reactions, such as the manufacturing of fertilizers and synthetic fuel production. Many of these reactions utilize the use of metal catalysts, where the metal surfaces interact with the adsorbed reactants, altering the energy landscape, and often making the reaction conditions more favorable by reducing reaction barriers. It is important to follow these catalytic reactions in real time since the pathway to the desired products consists of a series of step-by-step elemental reactions on the catalyst’s surface. The attosecond pulses and high rep rate of LCLS-II provides a unique opportunity to study the electron dynamics of these fundamental reaction steps. This detailed understanding will aid us towards the goal of controlling reactions at surfaces.