ULTRAFAST VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY OF SHOCK COMPRESSION WITH MOLECULAR RESOLUTION

Ultrafast shock compression and heat shock experiments using molecular monolayers provide atomic‐scale time and space resolution. Heat shock refers to flash‐heating a metal substrate by 600–800 K causing heat to flow into different probed functionalities of adsorbed monolayer molecules. We have developed methods to greatly improve monolayer spectra using vibrational sum‐frequency generation with nonresonant suppression. Monolayer engineering with atomic precision is used to study shock‐molecule interactions in energetic material simulants. Monolayer vibrational spectra at high pressures are obtained using diamond‐anvil cells with photonic substrates.