In the defense sector, research is conducted on combustion mechanisms for aircraft engines and controlled combustion and explosion mechanisms for propellants and explosives, guiding the optimized design of engines and efficient, controlled combustion of explosives. To achieve efficient, stable, and clean combustion in aircraft engines, it is essential to study the combustion reaction mechanisms of large hydrocarbon fuels like jet fuel. Achieving controlled combustion of propellants requires in-depth research into their combustion mechanisms to accurately build combustion reaction models for different types of solid propellants, as well as developing new efficient combustion catalysts (e.g., ionic liquid propellants) to regulate combustion performance. Currently, there is a lack of accurate reaction mechanisms for large hydrocarbon fuels across wide temperature (500–2000 K) and pressure (1–20 bar) ranges, primarily due to an unclear understanding of the microscopic processes of elementary combustion reactions and their behavior under broad operating conditions. Synchrotron radiation vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry is a unique diagnostic method for combustion mechanism research, enabling real-time online measurements and providing in-situ combustion reaction information. Ultrasonic molecular beam sampling detects reactive intermediate components, particularly radical products critical to chain reactions. Near-threshold ionization with synchrotron light reduces interference from fragment ions of various fuel components in jet fuel, enabling analysis of highly complex product components. The tunability of synchrotron radiation helps distinguish numerous isomers produced in jet fuel combustion, providing key data for resolving complex reaction networks.

Over 200 types of molecules have been confirmed to exist in interstellar space, with astronomical data indicating many more yet to be identified. Astrochemistry can aid development and breakthroughs in astronomy, such as analyzing spectra from astronomical observations to determine component distribution and simulating mechanisms to validate these observations. The field of astrochemistry has significant prospects and numerous unexplored areas internationally. Hundreds of complex organic molecules (COMs), such as aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, and amino acids, have been detected in the interstellar medium. These species serve as tracers to determine the physical and chemical conditions of interstellar environments and test chemical models of molecular clouds and star-forming regions. Previous studies have also found life-related complex organic molecules like carboxylic acids, amino acids, and ribose in meteorites, with concentrations as low as ppm levels. Meteorites are considered primitive remnants of the solar system's formation, recording the evolution of organic matter in the early solar system. Their fall to Earth may have provided initial materials for the origin and evolution of early life. Understanding the formation pathways of these extraterrestrial complex organic molecules helps reveal the production and fate of organic molecules in celestial environments, shedding light on galactic development and providing insights into the origin of life, with significant implications for astrochemistry, astrobiology, and physical chemistry.

In combustion research, synchrotron radiation photoionization mass spectrometry has been used to study pyrolysis, oxidation, and flames of jet fuels from different Chinese sources and refineries. This has led to the establishment of a high-precision combustion chemical database for full-component jet fuel and the development of simplified mechanisms for engineering calculations, providing critical data for designing and optimizing advanced aircraft engines and scramjet regenerative cooling experimental components. In astrochemistry, a series of studies on the formation mechanisms of interstellar molecules under wide temperature and pressure conditions have been conducted, offering important experimental data to support astrochemistry development and cosmic observations.