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Physical Chemistry Research Interests

My main research interests are in cluster structure and dynamics. Using methods of computer simulation such as molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo, I investigate a wide variety of cluster phenomena including solvation dynamics and spectral signatures of solvation (SF6Arn, aniline-Arn); melting of microclusters (Arn and (CO2)n); photodissociation dynamics and caging in both neutral and ionic clusters (e.g., Br2Arn, Br2-(CO2)n); and evaporation processes in rare gas clusters. Recent work includes a detailed investigation into evaporation processes, comparing simulation results with various levels of rate theory. This work leads us to speculate that the melting transition in "magic" clusters could be pinpointed by experiments designed to measure the kinetic energy release in the evaporation process.

Emerging interests include simulations of interfacial adsorbates on surfaces, the study of tip/surface interactions in atomic force microscopy, as well as new areas of cluster science such as vibronic coupling in metallic clusters and mixed clusters such as (N2)nArm. Other current work includes the structure of mixed rare gas clusters such as XenArm--we are modelling the photoelectron spectra of these clusters measured by a group in Sweden.

Chemical Education Research Interests

I am currently working on the University of Maine's Chemistry Department's Inter-Chem-Net project which provides an infrastructure for making networked chemical instrumentation such as UV-vis and FT-IR spectrometers accessible to all the students in our general chemistry program. We also have NSF support for Peer Led Team Learning groups in the General Chemistry Course. I am a member of the recently established University of Maine's Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research (CSMER) and on the Advisory Board for the University of Maine's Center for Teaching Excellence.

Selected Publications

  • Challenges and Rewards of Offering Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) in a Large General Chemistry Course, Barbara Stewart, François G. Amar, Mitchell R.M. Bruce, Australian Journal of Education in Chemistry 67, 31 (2007).
  • InterChemNet: An Integrated Instrumentation and Web-based Course Management System for the General Chemistry Laboratory, Barbara Stewart, Robert Kirk, David Labrecque, François G. Amar, Mitchell R. M. Bruce, J. Chem. Ed 83(3), 494 (2006).
  • Simulating the photolectron spectra of rare-gas clusters, François G. Amar, James Smaby, Thomas J. Preston, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 244717, (2005). [PDF version, Copyright (2005) American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. AIP link to the cited article may be found here.]
  • Modular Leader Training: Materials Under Development, Mitchell R. M. Bruce, François G. Amar, Barbara Stewart, Progressions: The Workshop Project Newsletter, Vol. 5 (1), Fall, 2003.
  • Structural Motifs and Stability of Small Argon-Nitrogen Clusters, Jinasena W. Hewage and François G. Amar, J. Chem. Phys. 119(17), 9021 (2003).
  • The structure of mixed nitrogen-argon clusters: A comparison of simulation results with experimental electron diffraction patterns, Jinasena W. Hewage, François G. Amar, Marie-Françoise de Feraudy, and Gerard Torchet, European Physical Journal D 24, 249 (2003).
  • Surface heterogeneity and diffusion in the desorption of methanol from WO3, S. Ma, F.G. Amar, and B.G. Frederick, J. Phys. Chem. A107, 1413 (2003).
  • On the use of evaporation dynamics to characterize phase transitions in van der Waals clusters: investigations in aniline(argon)n up to n=15, P. Parneix, F.G. Amar, and Ph. Bréchignac, Chem. Phys. 239, 121. 1998.
  • Structure, Dynamics, and Spectroscopy of Aniline-(Argon)n Clusters. I. Experimental Spectra and Interpretation for n=1-6, S. Douin, P. Parneix and Ph. Bréchignac and F.G. Amar, J. Phys. Chem. A 101, 122. 1997.
  • Isomer Specific Evaporation Rates: The Case of Aniline-Ar2, P. Parneix, Ph. Bréchignac, and F. G. Amar, J. Chem. Phys., 104, 983, 1996.
  • Infrared Spectroscopy of Solvated Molecules, F. G. Amar, L. Perera, S. Goyal, D. J. Levandier, and G. Scoles, in Clusters of Atoms and Molecules, H. Haberland, ed., Springer Series in Chemical Physics, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1994; Vol. 56, pp 19-43.
  • Evolution of the Spectroscopic Properties of Hg and Hg2 Interacting with Molecular Clusters, C. Dedonder-Lardeux, S. Martrenchard-Barra, C. Jouvet, C., D. Solgadi, and F.G. Amar, Laser Chemistry 14, 61, 1994.
  • Absolute Classical Densities of States for Very Anharmonic Systems and Applications to the Evaporation of Rare Gas Clusters, S. Weerasinghe and F.G. Amar, F. G., J. Chem. Phys. 98, 4967, 1993.
  • Quantum Calculation of Vibrational States in the Aniline-Argon van der Waals Complex, P. Parneix, N. Halberstadt, Ph. Bréchignac, F.G. Amar, A. van der Avoird, and J.W. van Bladel, J. Chem. Phys. 98, 2709, 1993.

Current Students

James Nadeau (MST, 2007)

 

Former Students

Matt Leland (MST, 2006)

TJ Preston (BS, 2006)

Jue Wang (Bangor High, 2005)

Barbara Stewart (Ph.D., 2004)

James Smaby (2001-2004)

Jinasena Hewage (Ph.D., 2002)

Jinglin Yang (M.S., 1997)

Pascal Parneix (Ph.D., University of Paris, 1993)

Nadarajah Ravindrakumar (M.S., 1993)

Samantha Weerasinghe, (Ph.D., 1992)

Lalith Perera, (Ph.D., 1990)

Collaborators

Philippe Bréchignac (University of Paris)

Mitchell Bruce (University of Maine)

Florent Calvo (University of Toulouse)

Evan Bieske (University of Melbourne)

Brian Frederick (University of Maine)

Pascal Parneix (University of Paris)

Gérard Torchet (University of Paris)

Peter Whitkop (University of Maine)

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