INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY

Director: Prof. Baldassare Di Bartolo

The purpose of the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy is two-fold:

1. To bring the workers in spectroscopy and related disciplines up to date on the new experimental and theoretical developments in this field of research, and
2. To create an opportunity for the researchers in the various subfields of spectroscopy to discuss their problems in an interdisciplinary framework.

Spectroscopic investigations are concerned with phenomena observed when the radiation from a source, separated into its various wavelengths, is made to interact with the constituents of a physical system. Through the examination of particular spectra, the identification of known molecular species can be carried out; by means of spectroscopy it has been possible, for example, to identify the presence of chemical elements in distant stars.

More basic applications of the science of spectroscopy have produced a better understanding of atomic and molecular structures and of such phenomena as luminescence. Rotational, vibrational and electronic states of molecules continue to be subjects of investigation; also the important field of energy transfer between the different degrees of freedom in molecules is an object of study.

In solids, spectroscopic investigations are directed to uncover the interrelation of absorption and emission properties with the location of the constituents and the crystalline symmetry. Studies of impurity spectra have shown the usefulness of spectral data in providing information about the spectra of such collective excitations of solids as phonons and magnons. Also, on the basis of purely spectroscopic data it is possible to predict the feasibility and efficiency of solid state systems as possible laser materials.

The technique of flash photolysis has extended the usage of spectroscopy to the excited states of gases, liquids and solids with the measurement of transitions not allowed from the ground state. When used to check the evolution of a reaction, this technique has uncovered the presence of transient species, often not seen before, and existing only under particular experimental conditions.

The International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy organized past advanced study institutes and workshops on the following subjects:

• 2009 - Bio-Photonics: Spectroscopy, Imaging, Sensing, and Manipulation
• 2008- Workshop on Advances in Luminescence Spectroscopy
• 2007- Frontier Developments in Optics and Spectroscopy [Final Report: 6.3 MB PDF]
• 2006- Workshop on Advances in the Study of Luminescence Materials [Final Report: 2.4 MB PDF]
• 2005 - New Developments in Optics and Related Fields: Modern Techniques, Materials and Applications [Final Report: 4.9 MB PDF]
• 2004 - Advances in Luminescence Research [Final Report: 1.4 MB PDF]
• 2003 - Frontiers of Optical Spectroscopy [Group Photo] [Final Report: 5.2 MB PDF]. The book, sponsored by NATO, has been published by Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• 2002 - Workshop on the Status and Prospects of Luminescence Research
• 2001- Spectroscopy of Systems with Spatially Confined Structures
• 2000 - Workshop on Advanced Topics in Luminescence Spectroscopy
• 1999 - Advances in Energy Transfer Processes
• 1998 - Workshop on Advances in Solid State Luminescence Spectroscopy
• 1997 - Ultrafast Dynamics of Quantum Systems: Physical Processes and Spectroscopic Techniques
• 1996 - Workshop on Luminescence Spectroscopy
• 1995 - Spectroscopy and Dynamics of Collective Excitations in Solids
• 1993 - Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Solids: Advances and Applications
• 1991 - Optical Properties of Excited States in Solids
• 1989 - Advances in Nonradiative Processes
• 1987 - Disordered Solids: Structures and Processes
• 1985 - Spectroscopy of Solid-State Laser-Type Materials
• 1983 - Energy Transfer Processes in Condensed Matter
• 1981 - Collective Excitations in Solids
• 1979 - Radiationless Processes
• 1977 - Luminescence of Inorganic Solids
• 1975 - The Spectroscopy of the Excited State
• 1974 - Optical Properties of Ions in Solids