- 15 March 2005 -

Quatemol-N from plasma etch and lasers
to earth's ionosphere

London-based company Quantemol will formally launch its software system, Quantemol-N on April 5. This predicts how molecules and electrons interact
on a quantum subatomic level and provides an expert interface for the UK molecular R-matrix code.

Development of the software was made possible through an £80,000 investment from NESTA (National Endowment of Science, Technology and the Arts), dedicated to supporting innovators and creativity in the UK.

The company Quantemol was founded out of University College London by their entrepreneur in residence, Dr Daniel Brown and Professor Jonathan Tennyson, Professor of physics and a leading expert on atomic and molecular physics.

Measurements of collisions between low-energy electrons and molecules control many aspects of the environment and modern technologies. These collisions are both expensive and difficult to perform, and their theoretical determination requires the use of sophisticated procedures based on the application of quantum mechanics.

Using new Quantemol-N to specify a few easily determined molecular parameters, data including collision cross sections, excitation cross sections and rates for electron collisions with user defined molecules can be easily obtained.

Applications for this tool include: designing plasma etching processes for semiconductors; controlling the action of lasers; optimising the ignition of internal combustion engines; determining edge effects in fusion plasmas; understanding radiation damage in biological tissue; modelling the behaviour of the earth’s ionosphere