This week’s Image of the Week shows the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) wavefunctions of a sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) molecule.  SF₆ is a useful molecule because of its non-flammable, non-toxic and inert qualities.  It is used widely in industry in lasers, plasma etching and and as an electrical insulator.  However, it is also a greenhouse gas with high global warming potential, so knowledge of its properties is very important.

A representation of SF6 HOMO wavefunction. The individual p-type orbitals are all centered on the fluorine nuclei, taken from Kate L Nixon et al 2016 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 49 195203. © IOP Publishing, All Rights Reserved.

In their paper Sulphur hexaflouride: low energy (e,2e) experiments and molecular three-body distorted wave theory, Kate L Nixon et al 2 obtain triple differential ionisation cross-sections for the highest occupied molecular orbital of SF₆ both experimentally and theoretically and compare their results.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Front and article image taken from Kate L Nixon et al 2016 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 49 195203. © IOP Publishing, All Rights Reserved.

Categories: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

Tags: Atomic and molecular physics, Climate, Image of the week, Ions, Molecular structure