Reevaluation of the use of photoelectron angular distributions as a probe of dynamical processes: strong dependence of such distributions from s1 paradifluorobenzene on photoelectron kinetic energy

The ultrafast vibronic dynamics of ammonia's D̃ state

Using vacuum-ultraviolet time-resolved velocity map imaging of photoelectrons, we study ultrafast coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics in low-lying Rydberg states of ammonia. Vibrationally-resolved internal vibrational relaxation (IVR) is observed in a progression of the e' bending modes. This vibrational progression is only observed in the D̃ state, and is lost upon ultrafast internal conversion to the C̃ and B̃ electronic states. Due to the ultrashort time scale of the internal conversion (ca. 64 fs), and the vibronic resolution, the non-adiabatic coupling vectors are identified and verified with ab initio calculations. The time-scale of this IVR process is highly surprising and significant because IVR is usually treated as an incoherent process that proceeds statistically, according to a "Fermi's Golden Rule"-like model, where the process scales with the available degrees of freedom. Here, we show that it can be highly non-statistical, restricted to only a very small subset of vibrational motions.

Real-time observation of cascaded electronic relaxation processes in p-Fluorotoluene

Ultrafast electronic relaxation processes following two photoexcitation of 400nm in p-Fluorotoluene (pFT) have been investigated utilizing time-resolved photoelectron imaging coupled with time-resolved mass spectroscopy. Cascaded electronic relaxation processes started from the electronically excited S₂ state are directly imaged in real time and well characterized by two distinct time constants of ~85±10fs and 2.4±0.3ps. The rapid component corresponds to the lifetime of the initially excited S₂ state, including the structure relaxation from the Franck-Condon region to the conical intersection of S₂/S₁ and the subsequent internal conversion to the highly excited S₁ state. While, the slower relaxation constant is attributed to the further internal conversion to the high levels of S₀ from the secondarily populated S₁ locating in the channel three region. Moreover, dynamical differences with benzene and toluene of analogous structures, including, specifically, the slightly slower relaxation rate of S₂ and the evidently faster decay of S₁, are also presented and tentatively interpreted as the substituent effects. In addition, photoelectron kinetic energy and angular distributions reveal the feature of accidental resonances with low-lying Rydberg states (the 3p, 4s and 4p states) during the multi-photon ionization process, providing totally unexpected but very interesting information for pFT.

Slow-electron velocity-map imaging study of aniline via resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization method

Slow electron velocity-map imaging (SEVI) of aniline has been investigated via two-color resonant-enhanced two-photo (1+1') ionization (2C-R2PI) method. A number of vibrational frequencies in the first excited state of neutral (S₁) and ²B₁ ground electronic state of cation (D₀) have been accurately determined. In addition, photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) in the two-step transitions are presented and reveal a near threshold shape resonance in the ionization of aniline. The SEVI spectra taken via various S₁ intermediate states provide the detailed vibrational structures of D₀ state and directly deduce the accurate adiabatic ionization potential (IP) of 62,271±6cm^-1. Ab initio calculations excellently reproduce the experimental IP value (Theo. 62,242cm^-1). For most vibrational modes, good agreement between theoretical and experimental frequencies in the S₀ and D₀ states of aniline is obtained to aid us to clearly assign vibrational modes. Especially, the vibrational frequencies calculated at the CASSCF level are much better consistent with experimental data than that obtained using the TDDFT and CIS methods.

Femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging

Femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging (TRPEI) is a variant of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy used in the study of gas-phase photoinduced dynamics. A new observable, time-dependent photoionization-differential cross section provides useful information on wave-packet motions, electronic dephasing, and photoionization dynamics. This review describes fundamental issues and the most recent works involving TRPEI.

Launching a particle on a ring: b2u→ke2g ionization of C6F6

Evidence is presented demonstrating that an electron launched into the continuum is trapped in an unprecedented quasibound state, namely, one that extends through the backbone of the six-member carbon ring of C6F6. The mode specificity of the vibrational sensitivity to the electron trapping provides an experimental signature for this phenomenon, while adiabatic static model-exchange scattering calculations are used to map the wave function, which corroborate the interpretation.

Observation of a simple vibrational wavepacket in a polyatomic molecule via time-resolved photoelectron velocity-map imaging: A prototype for time-resolved IVR studies

We have prepared a coherent superposition of the two components of a Fermi resonance in the S1 state of toluene at approximately 460 cm(-1) with a approximately 1 ps laser pulse and monitored time-resolved photoelectron velocity-map images. The photoelectron intensities oscillate with time in a manner that depends on their kinetic energy, even though full vibrational resolution in the cation is not achieved. Analysis of the time-dependent photoelectron spectra enables information on the composition of the S1 wavepacket to be deduced. Such an experiment, in which a whole set of partially dispersed cation vibrational states are detected simultaneously, suggests an efficient method of studying intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution processes in excited states.

An unusual π* shape resonance in the near-threshold photoionization of S1 para-difluorobenzene

Previously reported dramatic changes in photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) as a function of photoelectron kinetic energy following the ionization of S1 p-difluorobenzene are shown to be explained by a shape resonance in the b(2g) symmetry continuum. The characteristics of this resonance are clearly demonstrated by a theoretical multiple-scattering treatment of the photoionization dynamics. New experimental data are presented which demonstrate an apparent insensitivity of the PADs to both vibrational motion and prepared molecular alignment, however, the calculations suggest that strong alignment effects may nevertheless be recognized in the detail of the comparison with experimental data. The apparent, but unexpected, indifference to vibrational excitation is rationalized by considering the nature of the resonance. The correlation of this shape resonance in the continuum with a virtual pi* antibonding orbital is considered. Because this orbital is characteristic of the benzene ring, the existence of similar resonances in related substituted benzenes is discussed.