Ion traps and guides have been around for decades, used in areas ranging from experimental atomic physics to ion-molecule reaction studies. Recently, ion trapping techniques have expanded dramatically into new areas, including molecular spectroscopy of cold molecules and clusters, low temperature reactions critical to modeling and understanding astrophysical and astrochemical processes, and trapping of nanoparticles to study surface chemical processes at temperatures from a few Kelvin to a few thousand Kelvin. This emerging field is populated by a group of physicists and chemists with diverse backgrounds and interests, and a focused workshop would be extremely valuable at this point. The workshop would bring together some of the principal developers and most innovative users of the techniques, and also scientists with interests ranging from astrophysics to nanoscience. Goals would include diffusing knowledge of the latest experimental developments (many of which have not been published in detail), brainstorming new techniques and applications, and presenting results from the full range of application areas.
Organizer: Scott Anderson, Chemistry, U of Utah