he is associated with the Matter Structure Institute of the National Research Council[1] His scientific activity, documented by more than 430 papers (h-index 50), concerns experimental and theoretical aspects in the fields of radiation chemistry, of the ionic reactions in the gas phase, of elastic, inelastic, and reactive collisions between atoms and simple molecules of atmospheric and astrophysical interest, and of quantum and semi-classical physical chemistry.
In the 1980s, through an original technique of magnetic analysis of type Stern-Gerlach for the orbital states of polarization of spin and electronic angular momentum of atoms, such as halogens (fluorine and chlorine), oxygen, and sulphur, he obtained an ample phenomenology on the interactions of these species by molecular-beams scattering.
These interactions provide remarkable information on the initial phases of chemical reactions, that involve long-range forces determined by their open shell structure.
[citation needed] The theoretical activity is being developed in parallel to the experimental one, a fundamental theme being the quantum treatment of phenomena such as those observed in the study of elementary chemical processes, where the motion of nuclei enters into play: their behaviour is at the borderline of classical mechanics (semi-classical regime).
On this theme (quantum mechanics in the short-wave limit), he has studied non-adiabatic processes, the role of singularities (catastrophes), the chaotic regime, and has also contributed to the historical–epistemological debate.