Andrey Vilesov

Andrey Vilesov is a Professor of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California (USC), affiliated with the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He holds a Habilitation from the University of Göttingen (1999), a Ph.D. from St. Petersburg State University (1985), and an M.Sc. from the same institution (1981). His research focuses on the spectroscopy of molecules and ions isolated in superfluid helium droplets, studying quantum fluids at the atomic scale. The Vilesov Group specializes in infrared and X-ray spectroscopic techniques to investigate molecular ions, clusters, and phase behavior in these unique environments. Recent work includes studies on magnesium clusters, carbocations, and vortex dynamics in superfluid helium droplets. He collaborates on XFEL beam times and has pioneered X-ray coherent diffractive imaging techniques. His contributions span over 40 years of research in cold chemistry and quantum fluid dynamics.

Educations:

• Habilitation, 1999, University of Göttingen, Germany
• Ph.D., 1985, St. Petersburg State University, Russia
• M.Sc., 1981, St. Petersburg State University, Russia

Research Interests: Spectroscopy of isolated species in superfluid helium nanodroplets, quantum fluid dynamics, cluster aggregation mechanisms, nanoplasma dynamics, and low-temperature chemistry. His work bridges physics and chemistry, leveraging extreme cold environments to study molecular behavior and novel materials.

Key Research Techniques: Helium droplet isolation, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray coherent diffractive imaging, and femtosecond laser spectroscopy. His group pioneered visualization of quantum vortices and developed methods for trapping large ionic species in superfluid matrices.

Labs/Teams: The Vilesov Research Group at USC, focusing on cutting-edge experimental setups for helium droplet studies and XFEL-based imaging. Collaborations involve international facilities like LCLS and European XFEL.