Molecular hydrogen in porous Vycor glass

Distinct structural and dynamical difference between supercooled and normal liquids of hydrogen molecules

Supercooled hydrogen liquid as well as superfluid have continued to elude experimental observation due to rapid crystallization. We computationally realized and investigated supercooled hydrogen liquid by a recently developed non-empirical real-time molecular dynamics method, which describes non-spherical hydrogen molecules with the nuclear quantum effects. We demonstrated that the hydrogen supercooled liquid is not a simply cooled liquid but rather exhibits intrinsic structural and dynamical characters including a precursor of tunneling and superfluidity which neither normal hydrogen liquid nor solid possesses. All of the insights provide a milestone for planning experiments of metastable hydrogen systems like glassy and superfluid states and for identifying various unknown hydrogen phases.

Spectroscopy of light-molecule endofullerenes

Molecular endofullerenes are supramolecular systems consisting of fullerene cages encapsulating small molecules. Although most early examples consist of encapsulated metal clusters, recently developed synthetic routes have provided endofullerenes with non-metallic guest molecules in high purity and macroscopic quantities. The encapsulated light molecule behaves as a confined quantum rotor, displaying rotational quantization as well as translational quantization, and a rich coupling between the translational and rotational degrees of freedom. Furthermore, many encapsulated molecules display spin isomerism. Spectroscopies such as inelastic neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy may be used to obtain information on the quantized energy level structure and spin isomerism of the guest molecules. It is also possible to study the influence of the guest molecules on the cages, and to explore the communication between the guest molecules and the molecular environment outside the cage.

Hydrogen clusters that remain fluid at low temperature

Superfluidity of hydrogen, predicted three decades ago, continues to elude experimental observation, due to the high freezing temperature of H2 at T=13.8 K. Here, large para-H2 clusters are obtained in a cryogenic pulsed free jet expansion and are studied via nonlinear Raman spectroscopy. Clusters formed from neat pH_{2} are solid as evidenced by the characteristic splitting of the rotational S0(0) line. However, clusters formed of highly diluted pH_{2} (< or = 1%) in He have a single S0(0) line and remain liquid at the estimated superfluid transition temperature of T=1-2 K.