Veronica Vaida's Lab

My current research interests are at the interfaces of chemical physics, atmospheric science and environmental research. My research group uses fundamental techniques and concepts of physical chemistry to investigate the spectroscopy and reactivity of atmospheric molecules and radicals. Recently, in a collaborative effort, I investigated the possibility of sun-light initiated reactions by pumping of vibrational overtone transitions in the ground electronic states of atmospheric chromophores. This work explained some of the discrepancies between atmospheric measurements and models regarding OH production at dusk and dawn and the production of the stratospheric aerosol layer.

The study of the effect of the environment on spectroscopy and photoreactivity in the atmosphere is under investigation in my research. Specifically, I am interested in the spectra and photoreaction dynamics of water complexes and reactivity of organic films at the water-air interface. Water complexes may play a role in atmospheric radiative transfer and therefore in climate, assertions requiring research into the fundamental properties of such complexes at atmospheric conditions of relatively high pressure and temperature. Molecular complexes provide an important reaction environment in planetary atmospheres, where water plays a unique role in spectra and in enabling chemical reactions.