B.A. (1956) Rice University
Ph. D. (1959) Rice University
Chemical dynamics, spectroscopy, lasers, theoretical chemistry
Email: jlkinsey@rice.edu
Phone: (713) 348-4937
Office: Space Science & Tech. Bldg., 225
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James Kinsey
D. R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science Emeritus
Born: October 15, 1934 in Paris, TX
Present Positions: D. R. Bullard-Welch Fndn. Prof. Emeritus of Science Rice University (2008 - ) Chairman, Welch Foundation Scientific Advisory Board (2006- )
Former positions: D. R. Bullard-Welch Fndn. Prof. of Science Rice University (1988 - 2007) Dean, Wiess School of Natural Sciences, Rice University (1988-1998) Interim Provost, Rice University (1993-1994) Head, Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977-1982) Assistant Professor to Professor, Department of Chemistry, M. I. T. (1962-1988) Miller Research Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (1960-1962) NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Uppsala, Sweden (1959-1960)
Awards and Honors: Sigma Xi (1956) Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1964-68) (p)J.S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellow (1969-70) Fellow American Physical Society (1960) U. S. Dept. of Energy E.O. Lawrence Award (1987) Fellow American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1989) Amer. Chem. Soc. Nobel Laureate Signature Award in Graduate Education (1990) (jointly with R. W. Field and Y. Chen) Member, National Academy of Sciences (1991) Fellow, American Association for Advancement of Science (1993) American Physical Society Earle K. Plyler Prize (1995) Distinguished Alumnus Award, Association of Rice University Alumni (1998)
Research Statement
Dr. Kinsey's research has touched upon a variety of areas in chemical physics/physical chemistry, most of them involved with dynamics of simple chemical reactions or molecular collisions. His most recent research deals with the dynamics of decomposition of photoexcited molecules [1-9]. It has often been pointed out that the separation of the fragments produced in a photodissociation is essentially a "half collision" or "half reaction." The Kinsey group's work on photoemission during photodissociation gives a spectroscopic means of following the motion of the transient state leading to photochemical fragmentation. This is accomplished by recording the spectrum of light emitted by the excited molecule. Because typical times for photodissociation (~10 psec) are much shorter than typical radiative life times (~10 nsec), there is only a very tiny (but finite) photon yield. The spectral characteristics of this radiation details of dynamic processes in the excited electronic state and in the ground electronic state as well. In the process of coming apart, the molecule sweeps through infinite displacements in molecular geometry, thereby developing the ability to radiate into extremely high vibrational levels of the electronic ground state. The pattern of intensities in these lines is a "footprint" of the dissociation process.
Dr. Kinsey is no longer accepting new research students.
Selected Publications
Griffin, C.D., et al. "Multiscale quantum propagation using compact-support wavelets in space and time." Journal of Chemical Physics, 124 (2006): 134105.
A. Maloney, Kinsey, J. L., Bruce R. Johnson "Wavelets in curvilinear coordinat quantum calculations: H2+ electronic states." Journal of Chemical Physics, 117 (2002): 3548-3557.
J. L. Mackey, B. R. Johnson, L. D. Le, C. Kittrell and J. L. Kinsey "Resonance Raman Spectroscopy in the Dissociative A Band of Nitrosyl Chloride." J. Chem. Phys., 114 (2001): 6631-6640.
Johnson, B.R., et al. "Resonance Raman spectroscopy of dissociative polyatomic molecules." Journal of Physical Chemistry, 100(19) (1996): 7743-7764.
Johnson, B.R. and J.L. Kinsey "Dynamical Interpretation of the Hartley-Absorption Oscillations in O3." Physical Review Letters, 62(14) (1989): 1607-1610.
Johnson, B.R. and J.L. Kinsey "Recurrences in the Auto-Correlation Function Governing the Ultraviolet-Absorption Spectra of O3." Journal of Chemical Physics, 91(12) (1989): 7638-7653.
Imre, D., et al. "Chemical-Dynamics Studied by Emission-Spectroscopy of Dissociating Molecules." Journal of Physical Chemistry, 88(18) (1984): 3956-3964.
Imre, D.G., et al. "Spectroscopic Characterization of Repulsive Potential-Energy Surfaces - Fluorescence-Spectrum of Ozone." Journal of Physical Chemistry, 86(14) (1982): 2564-2566.
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