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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Experimental Methods for Trapping Ions Using Microfabricated Surface Ion Traps
Published on: August 17, 2017
Quantum Dynamics of H_{2} Trapped within Organic Clathrate Cages
Timothy A Strobel1, Anibal J Ramirez-Cuesta2, Luke L Daemen2
1Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
Abstract:
The rotational and translational dynamics of molecular hydrogen trapped within β-hydroquinone clathrate (H_{2}@β-HQ)-a practical example of a quantum particle trapped within an anisotropic confining potential-were investigated using inelastic neutron scattering and Raman spectroscopy. High-resolution vibrational spectra, including those collected from the VISION spectrometer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, indicate relatively strong attractive interaction between guest and host with a strikingly large splitting of rotational energy levels compared with similar guest-host systems. Unlike related molecular systems in which confined H_{2} exhibits nearly free rotation, the behavior of H_{2}@β-HQ is explained using a two-dimensional (2D) hindered rotor model with barrier height more than 2 times the rotational constant (-16.2 meV).
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