The FOTOAIR research group began to come together at the beginning of the 1990s, and is currently a pioneering group in our country in the assembly and use of experimental techniques of fast gas-phase kinetics applied to the study of problems of interest in atmospheric chemistry. The group has extensive experience in the field of atmospheric photochemistry, especially in the experimental determination of rate constants of chemical processes of atmospheric interest through the use of pulsed laser photolysis techniques, as well as in the study of reaction mechanisms and the quantification of reaction products using atmospheric simulation chambers (or smog chambers). He also has experience in the use of different spectroscopic techniques for the measurement of pollutants and the evaluation of air quality at different locations in the region.
In 2010, a new research line was created in the FOTOAIR group. It is dedicated to the gas-phase kinetic study of reactions of great interest in astrophysics, in particular in the interstellar medium (T = 10-100 K). For this purpose, a pulsed CRESU (Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme) system was built, initially to meet the objectives of the national CONSOLIDER-INGENIO2009 (ASTROMOL) project, and subsequently to meet the objectives of the Synergy ERC NANOCOSMOS project. Only a few research groups worldwide are dedicated to the study of kinetics at ultra-low temperatures, due to the complexity of the experimental systems required. This new line of research therefore has a major impact on the astrophysical community.