Tribute to Xueming Yang

Abstract

Published as part of The Journal of Physical Chemistry C special issue “Xueming Yang Festschrift”. It is our pleasure to preface this Festschrift to celebrate the remarkable scientific career of Professor Xueming Yang. Xueming is an innovative and pioneering experimental physical chemist. Throughout his academic career, he has made significant contributions to a wide range of technological advancements and scientific discoveries, spanning from advancing the fundamental understanding of reaction dynamics in the gas phase and at surfaces to promoting the development of free-electron lasers (FEL) in China. Xueming was born in 1962 and grew up in Zhejiang province, China. He developed a strong passion for chemistry during his middle school years. He was among the first cohort of university students after the college entrance examination was reinstated in China and received a bachelor degree at Zhejiang Normal University in 1982. After three years of study on high-resolution spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules as a master student, under the guidance of Professor Qingshi Zhu and Professor Cunhao Zhang at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, he enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he met his supervisor, Professor Alec Wodtke. During his Ph.D. study, he utilized the stimulated emission pumping (SEP) technique to investigate the spectroscopy and collisional dynamics of molecules with highly excited vibrational states. He then performed postdoctoral research with Professor Giacinto Scoles at Princeton University and Professor Yuan T. Lee at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. During his two and a half years at Berkeley, Xueming managed to build a sophisticated crossed molecular beams instrument, an experience that became a valuable asset in his research endeavor. Since then, Xueming has developed various high-resolution molecular beam apparatuses and novel experimental methods that have played an important role in the study and understanding of reaction dynamics and mechanisms at the microscopic level. He believes that the training at Berkeley was pivotal in helping him discover his strong and genuine desire in developing scientific instruments and conducting state-of-the-art experimental research in chemical dynamics. In 1995, Xueming started his independent research career at the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences (IAMS), Academia Sinica in Taipei. During that period, he successfully developed three crossed molecular beams apparatuses: a universal molecular beam instrument employing electron impact ionization detection, a crossed beam apparatus using vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron radiation, and a high-resolution crossed beam H atom Rydberg tagging machine. By using the H atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight (HRTOF) apparatus developed in his laboratory, he successfully carried out cutting-edge research on the H + HD reaction, the O(¹D) + H₂ reaction, and the photodissociation of H₂O molecules. The rotational state-resolved results obtained by his home-built apparatus were stunning, allowing for a detailed understanding of the underlying quantum reaction dynamics. In the early 2000s, Xueming was granted tenure at IAMS and subsequently moved to DICP as the director of the State Key Laboratory of Reaction Dynamics. One of Xueming’s main interests is the investigation of quantum effects in chemical reactions. The most challenging aspect of such studies is to capture detailed information at the quantum level, which requires highly sensitive and high-resolution detection. In response to these challenges, Xueming and co-workers at DICP further exploited the HRTOF and velocity map ion imaging technique in a crossed molecular beam experiment, in conjunction with highly efficient vibrationally excited state excitation. With these efforts, impressive scientific breakthroughs were achieved by Xueming, together with his theoretical collaborators, particularly Dong H. Zhang (D. H. Z.). Their findings on the F + H₂, Cl + HD, and H + HD reactions have greatly enhanced our understanding of the quantum dynamical effects, such as the reactive resonance and the geometric phase effect. In addition, Xueming’s exceptional expertise and know-how in reaction product detection has allowed him to design novel instruments with high sensitivity and resolution for surface science studies. Using these state-of-the-art instruments, Xueming and co-workers have studied, for example, the mechanisms and dynamics of photocatalytic reactions, in an effort to understand the relationship between charge/energy transfer and bond breaking/forming in TiO₂ photocatalysis, and their high-quality experimental results have helped the development of a more sophisticated photocatalysis model that incorporates dynamic information. Because of his experience with the Advanced Light Source facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Xueming has always been interested in developing an extreme ultraviolet laser light source with the characteristics and brightness required to carry out hitherto impossible scientific research. Since the early 2010s, in collaboration with colleagues at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xueming has made significant progress in the development of extreme ultraviolet FEL, and his effort has led the establishment of the world’s first large-scale extreme ultraviolet FEL user facility in China. In the coming years, Xueming will focus on building the Shenzhen Superconducting Soft-X-ray Free Electron Laser (S³FEL). This facility will produce bright laser light in the soft X-ray range, making it an even more powerful tool for research in physical and chemical sciences. Xueming’s outstanding contributions in science have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards, including the Future Science Prize in Physical Sciences and the Humboldt Research Award. He was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and appointed to the Gauss Professorship at the Akademie der Wissenshaften zu Göttingen. Additionally, he was elected a fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Xueming is a leading figure in the field of reaction dynamics and has made significant contributions that go well beyond his groundbreaking research. He has cultivated an ideal scientific environment for young scientists to tackle complex and fascinating problems in reaction dynamics. For many young researchers, he is a highly respected mentor and a supportive advisor. As his colleagues and friends, we deeply appreciate his broad perspective, strong leadership, boundless enthusiasm, genuine collaboration, and valued friendship. This Festschrift brings together contributions from Xueming’s students, postdocs, collaborators, and friends. We are honored to celebrate his remarkable achievements and look forward to many more in the future. Views expressed in this Preface are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. This Preface is jointly published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry A and C. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.