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At least 235 records · Page 13

Photoionization of C 60 at high energies

Calculations of the photoionization cross section of C60 including all valence and core subshells have been carried out for photon energies up to 1 keV using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) within the framework of a fully molecular model. The high-energy valence subshell cross sections behave rather differently than the results from model potentials where the cross section falls far too rapidly with energy. This unphysical behavior of the model calculations is traced to smearing out of the carbon nuclei in the model potentials which makes it difficult for momentum to be conserved at the higher energies. Comparison with 60 times carbon atomic cross section sheds light on similarities and differences. The high energy behavior of individual valence cross sections reflects the amount of C 2s/2p mixing in the molecular orbitals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Photoionization energetics and dissociation pathways of hydroperoxyethyl formate produced in the reaction of CH 3 CHOO + formic acid

The bimolecular reaction of Criegee intermediates, zwitterionic carbonyl oxide species produced in alkene ozonolysis, with organic acids leads to formation of functional hydroperoxides implicated in the generation of atmospheric aerosols. This theoretical study using high-level explicitly correlated coupled-cluster theory examines the low energy conformers of hydroperoxyethyl formate [HOOCH(CH 3 )OCHO, HPEF] formed in the bimolecular reaction of CH 3 CHOO, a simple alkyl-substituted Criegee intermediate, with formic acid, and the detection of HPEF via photoionization. Here, the vertical and adiabatic ionization energies of HPEF are computed, along with the pathways for dissociative ionization that produce HO 2 or OCHO fragments with daughter ions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Development of spatially and temporally resolved electron density measurements for the assessment of radiation hydrodynamics simulations of laboratory X-ray photoionized plasmas

The photoionized plasma gas cell experiment is an established platform we use to make at-parameter (ξ > > 1 ergs cm s –1 ) measurements of plasma properties with application to high-energy astrophysical systems. We model the experiments with 1D radiation hydrodynamics simulations using the HELIOS-CR code to inform our understanding and assist in the interpretation of results. The simulations predict that the bulk of the plasma is in a quasi-uniform and hydrodynamically unperturbed state throughout the duration of the experiment. To evaluate this prediction, we introduced a photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) diagnostic to measure spatially and temporally resolved plasma electron density. The initial measurements were successful but had limitations that made model-data comparisons challenging. To address this, we re-designed the gas cell PDV diagnostic and doubled the number of measurement locations to sample across two thirds of the depth of the cell. We also present a comparison of the results from the upgraded PDV diagnostic to the HELIOS-CR simulations for the first time. As a result, the experimental data confirms the prediction of an unperturbed region in the bulk of the plasma but reveals discrepancies in the time evolution and spatial distribution of the simulated electron density.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Photoionization mass spectrometric measurements of initial reaction pathways in low-temperature oxidation of 2,5-dimethylhexane

The product formation from R + O 2 reactions relevant to low-temperature autoignition chemistry was studied for 2,5-dimethylhexane, a symmetrically branched octane isomer, at 550 and 650 K using Cl-atom initiated oxidation and multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry (MPIMS). The interpretation of time- and photon-energy-resolved mass spectra led to three specific results important to characterizing the initial oxidation steps: (1) quantified isomer-resolved branching ratios for HO 2 + alkene channels; (2) 2,2,5,5-tetramethyltetrahydrofuran is formed in substantial yield from addition of O 2 to tertiary 2,5-dimethylhex-2-yl followed by isomerization of the resulting ROO adduct to tertiary hydroperoxyalkyl (QOOH) and exhibits a positive dependence on temperature over the range covered leading to a higher flux relative to aggregate cyclic ether yield. The higher relative flux is explained by a 1,5-hydrogen atom shift reaction that converts the initial primary alkyl radical (2,5-dimethylhex-1-yl) to the tertiary alkyl radical 2,5-dimethylhex-2-yl, providing an additional source of tertiary alkyl radicals. Furthermore, quantum-chemical and master-equation calculations of the unimolecular decomposition of the primary alkyl radical reveal that isomerization to the tertiary alkyl radical is the most favorable pathway, and is favored over O 2 -addition at 650 K under the conditions herein. The isomerization pathway to tertiary alkyl radicals therefore contributes an additional mechanism to 2,2,5,5-tetramethyltetrahydrofuran formation; (3) carbonyl species (acetone, propanal, and methylpropanal) consistent with β-scission of QOOH radicals were formed in significant yield, indicating unimolecular QOOH decomposition into carbonyl + alkene + OH.

2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-tetrahydrofuran↗

Photoionization of optically trapped ultracold atoms with a high-power light-emitting diode

Photoionization of laser-cooled atoms using short pulses of a high-power light-emitting diode (LED) is demonstrated. Light pulses as short as 30 ns have been realized with the simple LED driver circuit. We measure the ionization cross section of {sup 85}Rb atoms in the first excited state, and show how this technique can be used for calibrating efficiencies of ion detector assemblies.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Role of excited state photoionization in the 852.1 nm Cs laser pumped by Cs-Ar photoassociation

Photoionization of Cs (6p {sup 2}P{sub 3/2}) atoms during the operation of a Cs D{sub 2} line (852.1 nm: 6p {sup 2}P{sub 3/2}{yields}6s {sup 2}S{sub 1/2}) laser, pumped by free{yields}free transitions of thermal Cs-Ar ground state pairs, has been investigated experimentally and computationally. Photoexcitation of Cs vapor/Ar mixtures through the blue satellite of the D{sub 2} transition (peaking at 836.7 nm) selectively populates the {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} upper laser level by the dissociation of the CsAr excited complex. Comparison of laser output energy data, for instantaneous pump powers up to 3 MW, with the predictions of a numerical model sets an upper bound of 8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -26} cm{sup 4} W{sup -1} on the Cs (6p {sup 2}P{sub 3/2}) two photon ionization cross-section at 836.7 nm which corresponds to a single photon cross-section of 2.4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -19} cm{sup 2} for a peak pump intensity of 3 MW cm{sup -2}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Photoionization cross section by Stieltjes imaging applied to coupled cluster Lanczos pseudo-spectra

A recently implemented asymmetric Lanczos algorithm for computing (complex) linear response functions within the coupled cluster singles (CCS), coupled cluster singles and iterative approximate doubles (CC2), and coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) is coupled to a Stieltjes imaging technique in order to describe the photoionization cross section of atoms and molecules, in the spirit of a similar procedure recently proposed by Averbukh and co-workers within the Algebraic Diagrammatic Construction approach. Pilot results are reported for the atoms He, Ne, and Ar and for the molecules H{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, NH{sub 3}, HF, CO, and CO{sub 2}.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Effect of strongly coupled plasma on photoionization cross section

The effect of strongly coupled plasma on the ground state photoionization cross section is studied. In the non relativistic dipole approximation, cross section is evaluated from bound-free transition matrix element. The bound and free state wave functions are obtained by solving the radial Schrodinger equation with appropriate plasma potential. We have used ion sphere potential (ISP) to incorporate the plasma effects in atomic structure calculation. This potential includes the effect of static plasma screening on nuclear charge as well as the effect of confinement due to the neighbouring ions. With ISP, the radial equation is solved using Shooting method approach for hydrogen like ions (Li{sup +2}, C{sup +5}, Al{sup +12}) and lithium like ions (C{sup +3}, O{sup +5}). The effect of strong screening and confinement is manifested as confinement resonances near the ionization threshold for both kinds of ions. The confinement resonances are very much dependent on the edge of the confining potential and die out as the plasma density is increased. Plasma effect also results in appearance of Cooper minimum in lithium like ions, which was not present in case of free lithium like ions. With increasing density the position of Cooper minimum shifts towards higher photoelectron energy. The same behaviour is also true for weakly coupled plasma where plasma effect is modelled by Debye-Huckel potential.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Vacuum ultraviolet photoionization of carbohydrates and nucleotides

Carbohydrates (2-deoxyribose, ribose, and xylose) and nucleotides (adenosine-, cytidine-, guanosine-, and uridine-5{sup ′}-monophosphate) are generated in the gas phase, and ionized with vacuum ultraviolet photons (VUV, 118.2 nm). The observed time of flight mass spectra of the carbohydrate fragmentation are similar to those observed [J.-W. Shin, F. Dong, M. Grisham, J. J. Rocca, and E. R. Bernstein, Chem. Phys. Lett. 506, 161 (2011)] for 46.9 nm photon ionization, but with more intensity in higher mass fragment ions. The tendency of carbohydrate ions to fragment extensively following ionization seemingly suggests that nucleic acids might undergo radiation damage as a result of carbohydrate, rather than nucleobase fragmentation. VUV photoionization of nucleotides (monophosphate-carbohydrate-nucleobase), however, shows that the carbohydrate-nucleobase bond is the primary fragmentation site for these species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the removed carbohydrate electrons by the 118.2 nm photons are associated with endocyclic C–C and C–O ring centered orbitals: loss of electron density in the ring bonds of the nascent ion can thus account for the observed fragmentation patterns following carbohydrate ionization. DFT calculations also indicate that electrons removed from nucleotides under these same conditions are associated with orbitals involved with the nucleobase-saccharide linkage electron density. The calculations give a general mechanism and explanation of the experimental results.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Communication: State-to-state photoionization and photoelectron study of vanadium methylidyne radical (VCH)

By employing the infrared (IR)-ultraviolet (UV) laser excitation scheme, we have obtained rotationally selected and resolved pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE) spectra for vanadium methylidyne cation (VCH{sup +}). This study supports that the ground state electronic configuration for VCH{sup +} is …7σ{sup 2}8σ{sup 2}3π{sup 4}9σ{sup 1} (X{sup ~2}Σ{sup +}), and is different from that of …7σ{sup 2}8σ{sup 2}3π{sup 4}1δ{sup 1} (X{sup ~2}Δ) for the isoelectronic TiO{sup +} and VN{sup +} ions. This observation suggests that the addition of an H atom to vanadium carbide (VC) to form VCH has the effect of stabilizing the 9σ orbital relative to the 1δ orbital. The analysis of the state-to-state IR-UV-PFI-PE spectra has provided precise values for the ionization energy of VCH, IE(VCH) = 54 641.9 ± 0.8 cm{sup −1} (6.7747 ± 0.0001 eV), the rotational constant B{sup +} = 0.462 ± 0.002 cm{sup −1}, and the v{sub 2}{sup +} bending (626 ± 1 cm{sup −1}) and v{sub 3}{sup +} V–CH stretching (852 ± 1 cm{sup −1}) vibrational frequencies for VCH{sup +}(X{sup ~2}Σ{sup +}). The IE(VCH) determined here, along with the known IE(V) and IE(VC), allows a direct measure of the change in dissociation energy for the V–CH as well as the VC–H bond upon removal of the 1δ electron of VCH(X{sup ~3}Δ{sub 1}). The formation of VCH{sup +}(X{sup ~2}Σ{sup +}) from VCH(X{sup ~3}Δ{sub 1}) by photoionization is shown to strengthen the VC–H bond by 0.3559 eV, while the strength of the V–CH bond remains nearly unchanged. This measured change of bond dissociation energies reveals that the highest occupied 1δ orbital is nonbonding for the V–CH bond; but has anti-bonding or destabilizing character for the VC–H bond of VCH(X{sup ~3}Δ{sub 1})

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Photoionization of cold gas phase coronene and its clusters: Autoionization resonances in monomer, dimer, and trimer and electronic structure of monomer cation

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are key species encountered in a large variety of environments such as the Interstellar Medium (ISM) and in combustion media. Their UV spectroscopy and photodynamics in neutral and cationic forms are important to investigate in order to learn about their structure, formation mechanisms, and reactivity. Here, we report an experimental photoelectron-photoion coincidence study of a prototypical PAH molecule, coronene, and its small clusters, in a molecular beam using the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons provided by the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. Mass-selected high resolution threshold photoelectron (TPES) and total ion yield spectra were obtained and analyzed in detail. Intense series of autoionizing resonances have been characterized as originating from the monomer, dimer, and trimer neutral species, which may be used as spectral fingerprints for their detection in the ISM by VUV absorption spectroscopy. Finally, a full description of the electronic structure of the monomer cation was made and discussed in detail in relation to previous spectroscopic optical absorption data. Tentative vibrational assignments in the near-threshold TPES spectrum of the monomer have been made with the support of a theoretical approach based on density functional theory.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

B-spline algebraic diagrammatic construction: Application to photoionization cross-sections and high-order harmonic generation

We present the first implementation of the ab initio many-body Green's function method, algebraic diagrammatic construction (ADC), in the B-spline single-electron basis. B-spline versions of the first order [ADC(1)] and second order [ADC(2)] schemes for the polarization propagator are developed and applied to the ab initio calculation of static (photoionization cross-sections) and dynamic (high-order harmonic generation spectra) quantities. We show that the cross-section features that pose a challenge for the Gaussian basis calculations, such as Cooper minima and high-energy tails, are found to be reproduced by the B-spline ADC in a very good agreement with the experiment. We also present the first dynamic B-spline ADC results, showing that the effect of the Cooper minimum on the high-order harmonic generation spectrum of Ar is correctly predicted by the time-dependent ADC calculation in the B-spline basis. The present development paves the way for the application of the B-spline ADC to both energy- and time-resolved theoretical studies of many-electron phenomena in atoms, molecules, and clusters.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Dissociative double-photoionization of butadiene in the 25-45 eV energy range using 3-D multi-coincidence ion momentum imaging spectrometry

Dissociative double-photoionization of butadiene in the 25-45 eV energy range has been studied with tunable synchrotron radiation using full three-dimensional ion momentum imaging. Using ab initio calculations, the electronic states of the molecular dication below 33 eV are identified. The results of the measurement and calculation show that double ionization from π orbitals selectively triggers twisting about the terminal or central C–C bonds. We show that this conformational rearrangement depends upon the dication electronic state, which effectively acts as a gateway for the dissociation reaction pathway. For photon energies above 33 eV, three-body dissociation channels where neutral H-atom evaporation precedes C–C charge-separation in the dication species appear in the correlation map. The fragment angular distributions support a model where the dication species is initially aligned with the molecular backbone parallel to the polarization vector of the light, indicating a high probability for double-ionization to the “gateway states” for molecules with this orientation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Correlated proton-electron hole dynamics in protonated water clusters upon extreme ultraviolet photoionization

The ultrafast nuclear and electronic dynamics of protonated water clusters H+(H2O)n after extreme ultraviolet photoionization is investigated. In particular, we focus on cluster cations with n = 3, 6, and 21. Upon ionization, two positive charges are present in the cluster related to the excess proton and the missing electron, respectively. A correlation is found between the cluster's geometrical conformation and initial electronic energy with the size of the final fragments produced. As a result, for situations in which the electron hole and proton are initially spatially close, the two entities become correlated and separate in a time-scale of 20 to 40 fs driven by strong non-adiabatic effects.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Double photoionization of halogenated benzene

We have experimentally investigated the double-photoionization process in C{sub 6}BrF{sub 5} using monochromatized synchrotron radiation. We compare our results with previously published data for partially deuterated benzene (C{sub 6}H{sub 3}D{sub 3}) over a wide range of photon energies from threshold to 270 eV. A broad resonance in the ratio of doubly to singly charged parent ions at about 65 eV appears shifted in energy compared to benzene data. This shift is due to the difference in the bond lengths in two molecules. A simple model can explain the shape of this resonance. At higher photon energies, we observe another broad resonance that can be explained as a second harmonic of the first resonance.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Fine- and hyperfine-structure effects in molecular photoionization. II. Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization and hyperfine-selective generation of molecular cations

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) is a widely used technique for studying molecular photoionization and producing molecular cations for spectroscopy and dynamics studies. Here, we present a model for describing hyperfine-structure effects in the REMPI process and for predicting hyperfine populations in molecular ions produced by this method. This model is a generalization of our model for fine- and hyperfine-structure effects in one-photon ionization of molecules presented in Paper I [M. Germann and S. Willitsch, J. Chem. Phys. 145, 044314 (2016)]. This generalization is achieved by covering two main aspects: (1) treatment of the neutral bound-bound transition including the hyperfine structure that makes up the first step of the REMPI process and (2) modification of our ionization model to account for anisotropic populations resulting from this first excitation step. Our findings may be used for analyzing results from experiments with molecular ions produced by REMPI and may serve as a theoretical background for hyperfine-selective ionization experiments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A simple photoionization scheme for characterizing electron and ion spectrometers

We present a simple diode laser-based photoionization scheme for generating electrons and ions with well-defined spatial and energetic (≲2 eV) structures. This scheme can easily be implemented in ion or electron imaging spectrometers for the purpose of off-line characterization and calibration. The low laser power ∼1 mW needed from a passively stabilized diode laser and the low flux of potassium atoms in an effusive beam make our scheme a versatile source of ions and electrons for applications in research and education.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Distinguishing resonance symmetries with energy-resolved photoion angular distributions from ion-pair formation in O 2 following two-photon absorption of a 9.3 eV femtosecond pulse

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study on the photodissociation dynamics of ion-pair formation in O 2 following resonant two-photon absorption of a 9.3 eV femtosecond pulse, where the resulting O + ions are detected using 3-D momentum imaging. Ion-pair formation states of $^3\Sigma^-_g$ and $^3\Pi_g$ symmetry are accessed through predissociation of optically dark continuum Rydberg states converging to the B $^2\Sigma^-_g$ ionic state, which are resonantly populated via a mixture of both parallel-parallel and parallel-perpendicular two-photon transitions. This mixture is evident in the angular distribution of the dissociation relative to the light polarization, and varies with the kinetic energy release (KER) of the fragmenting ion-pair. The KER-dependent photoion angular distribution reveals the underlying two-photon absorption dynamics involved in the ion-pair production mechanism and indicates the existence of two nearly degenerate continuum resonances possessing different symmetries, which can both decay by coupling to ion-pair states of the same total symmetry through internal conversion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗