Rotational dephasing of symmetric top molecules: Analytic expressions and applications

Anisotropy in Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy in the Gas Phase

Transient absorption anisotropy is a well-established technique in time-resolved liquid phase spectroscopy. Here, we show how the technique is applied in the gas phase for time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and what type of additional information can be obtained as compared to other techniques. We exemplify its use by presenting results on rotational revivals in pyrazine after excitation at 324 nm and provide new insights into two recent experiments: (i) the difference between Rydberg and valence state excitation after one- and two-photon absorption in butadiene and (ii) excitation to the two lowest lying vibronic modes of the degenerate π3p Rydberg state in 1-azabicyclo[2.2.0]octane. Going forward, we expect the technique to be used on a regular basis, especially with the advent of high harmonic probe sources and liquid beam setups where other techniques to extract polarization-dependent information such as velocity map imaging cannot easily be applied.

Time-resolved photoelectron imaging with a femtosecond vacuum-ultraviolet light source: Dynamics in the A∼/B∼- and F∼-bands of SO2

Time-resolved photoelectron imaging is demonstrated using the third harmonic of a 400-nm femtosecond laser pulse as the ionization source. The resulting 133-nm pulses are combined with 266-nm pulses to study the excited-state dynamics in the A∼/B∼- and F∼-band regions of SO₂. The photoelectron signal from the molecules excited to the A∼/B∼-band does not decay for at least several picoseconds, reflecting the population of bound states. The temporal variation of the photoelectron angular distribution (PAD) reflects the creation of a rotational wave packet in the excited state. In contrast, the photoelectron signal from molecules excited to the F∼-band decays with a time constant of 80 fs. This time constant is attributed to the motion of the excited-state wave packet out of the ionization window. The observed time-dependent PADs are consistent with the F∼ band corresponding to a Rydberg state of dominant s character. These results establish low-order harmonic generation as a promising tool for time-resolved photoelectron imaging of the excited-state dynamics of molecules, simultaneously giving access to low-lying electronic states, as well as Rydberg states, and avoiding the ionization of unexcited molecules.

Time-Resolved Photodetachment Anisotropy: Gas-Phase Rotational and Vibrational Dynamics of the Fluorescein Anion

The photoelectron signal of the singly deprotonated fluorescein anion is found to be highly dependent on the relative polarization between pump and probe pulses, and time-resolved photodetachment anisotropy (TR-PA) is developed as a probe of the rotational dynamics of the chromophore. The total photoelectron signal shows both rotational and vibrational wavepacket dynamics, and we demonstrate how TR-PA can readily disentangle these dynamical processes. TR-PA in fluorescein presents specific opportunities for its development as a probe for rotational dynamics in large biomolecules as fluorescein derivatives are commonly incorporated in complex biomolecules and have been used extensively in time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements, to which TR-PA is a gas-phase analogue.