Professor, Chemistry
School of Physical Sciences

Chemical Physics

NSF Center for Chemical Innovation on Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit (CaSTL)

1983 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Award

1990 Alfred P. Sloan Fellow

1994 Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society

1996 Alexander von Humboldt Award

2004 AAAS Fellow

2006 UCI Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching

2007 USC Distinguished Alumnus

2008 ACS Charles R. Bennett Service Through Chemistry Award

2009 Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia

Northwestern University

Cornell University

Joined UCI faculty in 1983

Understanding of photophysics and chemical dynamics in condensed media is the major thrust of our research. Both experimental and theoretical studies are conducted on what may be regarded as model systems: systems, such as doped van der Waals solids and fluids, which are simple enough to afford a first principles description of elementary photoprocesses. The challenge in understanding dynamics in condensed media arises from the many-body nature of interactions. Collective electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom must be considered to describe even the simplest of chemical processes, such as the breaking or making of a bond. The development of global many-body potentials that are at once accurate, universal and economical, is a unifying theme in our work. The dynamical consequences of such interactions, is another theme, which is investigated through time – frequency resolved spectroscopies using ultrafast lasers. Beside the preparation and interrogation of molecular coherences, quantum control as applied to molecular engineering and quantum computing are subjects that are pursued both theoretically and experimentally.

The experimental studies invariably involve laser-based spectroscopic techniques that are implemented in both frequency and time domain, over the spectral range from far infrared to the deep ultraviolet. The time resolution of studies stretches to the femtosecond domain, a time scale that enables the observation of atomic motions on a freeze-frame basis. This provides the means for following and controlling chemistry as it evolves from reactants to products. To extract the desired atomistic level of understanding from detailed experimental observables, we invariably model the systems with explicit simulations. To this end, we have developed an arsenal of classical, semi-classical, and quantum simulation methods.

"Laser-induced scanning tunneling microscopy: Linear excitation of the junction plasmon", J. Lee, S. M. Perdue, D. Whitmore, and V. A. Apkarian, J. Chem. Phys., 133, 104706 (2010).

"Photodynamics at Low Temperatures, in Time Domain", V. A. Apkarian and M. Pettersson, in Physics and Chemistry at Low Temperatures, L. Khriachtchev, Ed. (Pan Stanford Publishing, 2010).

"Dynamically skewed lines: Rotations in superfluid helium", M. N. van Staveren and V. A. Apkarian, J. Chem. Phys. (in press, 2010).

"Solid-like coherent vibronic dynamics in a room temperature liquid: Resonant Raman spectroscopy of liquid bromine", E. T. Branigan, M. N. van Staveren, V. A. Apkarian, J. Chem. Phys. 132, 044503 (2010) .

"Graphitic Electrical Contacts to Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Pt Electrodes", A. A. Kane, T. Sheps, E. T. Branigan, V. A. Apkarian, M. H. Cheng, J. C. Hemminger, S. R. Hunt, P. G. Collins, Nano Letters, 9, 3586 (2009).

“Dynamical interrogation of the hydration cage of bromine in single crystal clathrate hydrates versus water”, Goldschleger, I. U., Kerenskaya, G., Senekerimyan, V., Janda, K. C., and Apkarian, V. A., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10, 7226 (2008).

“Polymorphism in Br₂ Clathrate Hydrates”, Goldschleger, I. U., Kerenskaya, G., Janda, K. C., and Apkarian, V. A., J. Phys. Chem. A 112, 787 (2008).

"Spectroscopic Signatures of Halogens in Clathrate Hydrate Cages. 1. Bromine", Kerenskaya, G., Goldschleger, I. U., Apkarian, V. A., Janda, K. C., J. Phys. Chem. A, 110, 13792 (2006).

“Vibronic dynamics of I₂ trapped in amorphous ice: Coherent following of cage relaxation”, Senekerimyan, V., Goldschleger, I., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys., 127, 214511 (2007) .

“Diagnostics of Spectrally Resolved Transient Absorption: Surface Plasmon Resonance of Metal Nanoparticles”, Seferyan, H. Ye., Zadoyan, R., Wark, A. W., Corn, R. M., Apkarian, V. A., J. Phys. Chem. C, 111, 18525 (2007) .

"Interfacial Velocity Dependent Plasmon Damping in Colloidal Metallic Nanoparticles", Zadoyan, R., Seferyan, H. Y., Wark, A., Corn, R. M., Apkarian, V. A., J. Phys. Chem. C, 111, 10836 (2007).

“Spectroscopic Signatures of Halogens in Clathrate Hydrate Cages. 2. Iodine”, Kerenskaya, G., Goldschleger, I. U., Apkarian, V. A., Fleischer, E., Janda, K. C., J. Phys. Chem. A 111, 10969 (2007).

"A Pixellated Window on Chemistry in Solids", Apkarian, V. A., Science, 313, 1747 (2006).

"Transient Grating Measurements of Excitonic Dynamics in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: The Dark Excitonic Bottleneck", Seferyan, H. Y., Nasr, M. B., Senekerimyan, V., Zadoyan, R., Collins, P., Apkarian, V. A., Nano Letters 6, 1757 (2006).

"Quantum logic gates in iodine vapor using time-frequency resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering: a theoretical study", Glenn, D. R., Lidar, D. A., Apkarian, V. A., Molecular Phys. 104, 1249 (2006).

"Quenched by ice: Transient grating measurements of vibronic dynamics in bromine-doped ice", Goldschleger, I. U., Senekerimyan, V., Krage, M. S., Seferyan, H., Janda, K. C., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 124, 204507 (2006).

"Nonresonant ionization of oxygen molecules by femtosecond pulses: Plasma dynamics studied by time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy", Mics, Z., Kadlec, F., Kuzel, P., Jungwirth, P., Bradforth, S., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 123, 104310 (2005).

"Time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman-scattering measurements of I₂ in solid Kr: Vibrational dephasing on the ground electronic state at 2.6-32K", Kiviniemi, T., Aumanen, J., Myllyperkiö, P., Apkarian, V. A., Pettersson, M., J. Chem. Phys. 123, 064509 (2005).

"Quantum Coherent Dissipation: A glimpse of the 'cat'", Segale, D., Karavitis, M., Fredj, E., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 122, 111104 (2005).

"Time-resolved CARS studies of vibrational coherences in the condensed phase: I₂ in solid krypton", Karavitis, M., Goldschleger, I., Apkarian, V. A., Kumada, T., in Springer Series in Chemical Physics 79, Ultrafast Phenomena XIV, Kobayashi, Okada, Kobayashi, Nelson and De Silvestri, eds., pp. 377-379 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin) (2005).

"Vibrational dissipation and dephasing of I₂(v=1-19) in solid Kr", Karavitis, M., Kumada, T., Goldschleger, I., Apkarian, V. A., Phys. Chem. Chem Phys. 7, 791 (2005).

"Time-domain analysis of electronic spectra in superfluid ⁴He", Eloranta, J., Seferyan, H., Apkarian, V. A., Chem. Phys. Lett. 396, 155 (2004).

"Vibrational Coherence of I₂ in Solid Kr", Karavitis, M., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 120, 292 (2004).

"Dynamics and the breaking of a driven cage: I₂ in solid Ar", Bihary, Z., Zadoyan, R., Karavitis, M., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 120, 7576 (2004).

"Onset of Decoherence: Six-wave Mixing Measurements of Vibrational Decoherence on the Excited Electronic State of I₂ in Solid Argon", Bihary Z., Karavitis, M., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 120, 8144 (2004).

“Time-resolved CARS Measurements of Vibrational Decoherence of I₂ Isolated in Matrix Ar”, Karavitis, M., Segale, D., Bihary, Z., Pettersson, M., Apkarian, V. A., Low Temp. Phys. 29, 1071 (2003).

"A Time Dependent Density Functional Treatment of Superfluid Dynamics: Equilibrium of the Electron Bubble in Superfluid ⁴He", Eloranta, J., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 117, 10139 (2002).

"A Direct Interrogation of Superfluidity on Molecular Scales", Benderskii, A. V., Eloranta, J., Zadoyan, R., Apkarian, V. A., J. Chem. Phys. 117, 1201 (2002).

"The Manipulation of Massive Ro-Vibronic Superpositions Using Time-Frequency-Resolved Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (TFRCARS): from Quantum Control to Computing", Zadoyan R., Kohen D., Lidar D., Apkarian V. A., Chem. Phys. 266, 323 (2001).

"Semiclassical Molecular Dynamics Computation of Spontaneous Light Emission in the Condensed Phase", Ovchinnikov, M., Apkarian, V. A., Voth, G. A., J. Chem. Phys. 114, 7130 (2001).

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https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=7203

Last updated
10/04/2023