Molecular orbital imaging of the acetone S2 excited state using time-resolved (e, 2e) electron momentum spectroscopy

Asymptotic behavior of the electron-atom Compton profile due to the intramolecular H-atom motion in H2

We report the asymptotic behavior of the electron-atom Compton profile due to the intramolecular H-atom motion in H₂. The experiment has been performed at a scattering angle of 135° and at incident electron energies from 1.0 to 2.2 keV, thus covering a momentum transfer (K) range from 15.8 to 23.5 a.u. It is shown that with the increase in K, the Compton profile changes in shape and becomes more symmetric. Furthermore, it is found that the experiment reaches the limit of sufficiently large K at an incident electron energy of 2.0 keV, where the plane-wave impulse approximation is applicable to directly relate the Compton profile to the momentum distribution of the H atom.

Development of an Electron-Atom Compton Scattering Apparatus Using a Picosecond Pulsed Electron Gun

An apparatus has been developed for electron-atom Compton scattering experiments that can employ a pulsed laser and a picosecond pulsed electron beam in a pump-and-probe scheme. The design and technical details of the apparatus are described. Furthermore, experimental results on the Xe atom in its ground state are presented to illustrate the performance of the pulsed electron gun and the detection and spectrometric capabilities for scattered electrons. The scope of future application is also discussed, involving real-time measurement of intramolecular force acting on each constituent atom with different mass numbers, in a transient, evolving system during a molecular reaction.

Laser-Assisted (e, 2e) Collisions in the Symmetric/Asymmetric Coplanar Geometry

In this review, we present a comprehensive survey of laser-assisted (e, 2e) reactions. The influence of a laser field on the dynamics of (e, 2e) collisions in atomic hydrogen is analyzed in the symmetric and asymmetric coplanar geometries. Particular attention is devoted to the construction of the dressed (laser-modified) target wave functions, in both the initial and final states. The calculation is performed in the framework of Coulomb-Volkov-Born approximation, where the initial and final electrons are described by Volkov wave functions, while the interaction of the incident electron with the target atom is treated in the first and the second Born approximation. The state of the ejected electron is described by a Volkov/Coulomb-Volkov wave function. A detailed account is also given of the techniques we have used to evaluate the scattering amplitudes. The influence of the laser parameters (frequency, intensity, and direction of polarization) on the angular distribution of the ejected electron is discussed, and a number of illustrative examples are given. The structure of the triple differential cross section in the vicinity of resonances is also analyzed.

Development of an electron momentum spectrometer for time-resolved experiments employing nanosecond pulsed electron beam

The low count rate of (e, 2e) electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS) has long been a major limitation of its application to the investigation of molecular dynamics. Here we report a new EMS apparatus developed for time-resolved experiments in the nanosecond time scale, in which a double toroidal energy analyzer is utilized to improve the sensitivity of the spectrometer and a nanosecond pulsed electron gun with a repetition rate of 10 kHz is used to obtain an average beam current up to nA. Meanwhile, a picosecond ultraviolet laser with a repetition rate of 5 kHz is introduced to pump the sample target. The time zero is determined by photoionizing the target using a pump laser and monitoring the change of the electron beam current with time delay between the laser pulse and electron pulse, which is influenced by the plasma induced by the photoionization. The performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated by the EMS measurement on argon using a pulsed electron beam, illustrating the potential abilities of the apparatus for investigating the molecular dynamics in excited states when employing the pump-probe scheme.

Imaging molecular geometry with electron momentum spectroscopy

Electron momentum spectroscopy is a unique tool for imaging orbital-specific electron density of molecule in momentum space. However, the molecular geometry information is usually veiled due to the single-centered character of momentum space wavefunction of molecular orbital (MO). Here we demonstrate the retrieval of interatomic distances from the multicenter interference effect revealed in the ratios of electron momentum profiles between two MOs with symmetric and anti-symmetric characters. A very sensitive dependence of the oscillation period on interatomic distance is observed, which is used to determine F-F distance in CF₄ and O-O distance in CO₂ with sub-Ångström precision. Thus, using one spectrometer, and in one measurement, the electron density distributions of MOs and the molecular geometry information can be obtained simultaneously. Our approach provides a new robust tool for imaging molecules with high precision and has potential to apply to ultrafast imaging of molecular dynamics if combined with ultrashort electron pulses in the future.

Imaging Electronic Excitation of NO by Ultrafast Laser Tunneling Ionization

Tunneling-ionization imaging of photoexcitation of NO has been demonstrated by using few-cycle near-infrared intense laser pulses (8 fs, 800 nm, 1.1×10^{14}  W/cm^{2}). The ion image of N^{+} fragment ions produced by dissociative ionization of NO in the ground state, NO (X^{2}Π,2π)→NO^{+}+e^{-}→N^{+}+O+e^{-}, exhibits a characteristic momentum distribution peaked at 45° with respect to the laser polarization direction. On the other hand, a broad distribution centered at ∼0° appears when the A^{2}Σ^{+} (3sσ) excited state is prepared as the initial state by deep-UV photoexcitation. The observed angular distributions are in good agreement with the corresponding theoretical tunneling ionization yields, showing that the fragment anisotropy reflects changes of the highest-occupied molecular orbital by photoexcitation.

A corpuscular picture of electrons in chemical bond

We introduce a theory of chemical bond with a corpuscular picture of electrons. It employs a minimal set of localized electron wave packets with "floating and breathing" degrees of freedom and the spin-coupling of non-orthogonal valence-bond theory. Its accuracy for describing potential energy curves of chemical bonds in ground and excited states of spin singlet and triplet is examined.

Electron momentum spectroscopy of dimethyl ether taking account of nuclear dynamics in the electronic ground state

The influence of nuclear dynamics in the electronic ground state on the (e,2e) momentum profiles of dimethyl ether has been analyzed using the harmonic analytical quantum mechanical and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics approaches. In spite of fundamental methodological differences, results obtained with both approaches consistently demonstrate that molecular vibrations in the electronic ground state have a most appreciable influence on the momentum profiles associated to the 2b1, 6a1, 4b2, and 1a2 orbitals. Taking this influence into account considerably improves the agreement between theoretical and newly obtained experimental momentum profiles, with improved statistical accuracy. Both approaches point out in particular the most appreciable role which is played by a few specific molecular vibrations of A1, B1, and B2 symmetries, which correspond to C-H stretching and H-C-H bending modes. In line with the Herzberg-Teller principle, the influence of these molecular vibrations on the computed momentum profiles can be unraveled from considerations on the symmetry characteristics of orbitals and their energy spacing.