| 1. |
- Garg, D., et al.
(författare)
-
Fragmentation Dynamics of Fluorene Explored Using Ultrafast XUV-Vis Pump-Probe Spectroscopy
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Physics. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-424X. ; 10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the use of extreme ultraviolet (XUV, 30.3 nm) radiation from the Free-electron LASer in Hamburg (FLASH) and visible (Vis, 405 nm) photons from an optical laser to investigate the relaxation and fragmentation dynamics of fluorene ions. The ultrashort laser pulses allow to resolve the molecular processes occurring on the femtosecond timescales. Fluorene is a prototypical small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Through their infrared emission signature, PAHs have been shown to be ubiquitous in the universe, and they are assumed to play an important role in the chemistry of the interstellar medium. Our experiments track the ionization and dissociative ionization products of fluorene through time-of-flight mass spectrometry and velocity-map imaging. Multiple processes involved in the formation of each of the fragment ions are disentangled through analysis of the ion images. The relaxation lifetimes of the excited fluorene monocation and dication obtained through the fragment formation channels are reported to be in the range of a few tens of femtoseconds to a few picoseconds.
|
|
| 2. |
- Lee, J. W.L., et al.
(författare)
-
Time-resolved relaxation and fragmentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons investigated in the ultrafast XUV-IR regime
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) play an important role in interstellar chemistry and are subject to high energy photons that can induce excitation, ionization, and fragmentation. Previous studies have demonstrated electronic relaxation of parent PAH monocations over 10-100 femtoseconds as a result of beyond-Born-Oppenheimer coupling between the electronic and nuclear dynamics. Here, we investigate three PAH molecules: fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, using ultrafast XUV and IR laser pulses. Simultaneous measurements of the ion yields, ion momenta, and electron momenta as a function of laser pulse delay allow a detailed insight into the various molecular processes. We report relaxation times for the electronically excited PAH*, PAH(+*) and PAH(2+*) states, and show the time-dependent conversion between fragmentation pathways. Additionally, using recoil-frame covariance analysis between ion images, we demonstrate that the dissociation of the PAH(2+) ions favors reaction pathways involving two-body breakup and/or loss of neutral fragments totaling an even number of carbon atoms. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons play an important role in interstellar chemistry, where interaction with high energy photons can induce ionization and fragmentation reactions. Here the authors, with XUV-IR pump-probe experiments, investigate the ultrafast photoinduced dynamics of fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene, providing insight into their preferred reaction channels.
|
|
| 3. |
- Allum, F., et al.
(författare)
-
A localized view on molecular dissociation via electron-ion partial covariance
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Communications Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3669. ; 5:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Inner-shell photoelectron spectroscopy provides an element-specific probe of molecular structure, as core-electron binding energies are sensitive to the chemical environment. Short-wavelength femtosecond light sources, such as Free-Electron Lasers (FELs), even enable time-resolved site-specific investigations of molecular photochemistry. Here, we study the ultraviolet photodissociation of the prototypical chiral molecule 1-iodo-2-methylbutane, probed by extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) pulses from the Free-electron LASer in Hamburg (FLASH) through the ultrafast evolution of the iodine 4d binding energy. Methodologically, we employ electron-ion partial covariance imaging as a technique to isolate otherwise elusive features in a two-dimensional photoelectron spectrum arising from different photofragmentation pathways. The experimental and theoretical results for the time-resolved electron spectra of the 4d(3/2) and 4d(5/2) atomic and molecular levels that are disentangled by this method provide a key step towards studying structural and chemical changes from a specific spectator site. Coincidence experiments at free-electron lasers enable time resolved site-specific investigations of molecular photochemistry at high signal rates, but isolating individual dissociation processes still poses a considerable technical challenge. Here, the authors use electron-ion partial covariance imaging to isolate otherwise elusive chemical shifts in UV-induced photofragmentation pathways of the prototypical chiral molecule 1-iodo-2-methylbutane.
|
|
| 4. |
- Lee, J. W. L., et al.
(författare)
-
The kinetic energy of PAH dication and trication dissociation determined by recoil-frame covariance map imaging
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 24:38, s. 23096-23105
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated the dissociation of dications and trications of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. PAHs are a family of molecules ubiquitous in space and involved in much of the chemistry of the interstellar medium. In our experiments, ions are formed by interaction with 30.3 nm extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photons, and their velocity map images are recorded using a PImMS2 multi-mass imaging sensor. Application of recoil-frame covariance analysis allows the total kinetic energy release (TKER) associated with multiple fragmentation channels to be determined to high precision, ranging 1.94-2.60 eV and 2.95-5.29 eV for the dications and trications, respectively. Experimental measurements are supported by Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations.
|
|
| 5. |
- Manschwetus, B., et al.
(författare)
-
Ultrafast ionization and fragmentation dynamics of polycyclic atomatic hydro-carbons by XUV radiation
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Free Electron Laser. - : IOP Publishing. - 1742-6588. ; 1412
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the interstellar medium polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (PAH) are exposed to strong ionizing radation leading to complex organic photochemistry. We investigated these ultrafast fragmentation reac-tions after ionization of the PAHs phenanthrene, fluorene and pyrene at a wavelength of 30.3 nm using pump probe spectroscopy at a free electron laser. We observe double ionization and afterwards hydrogen abstraction and acetylene loss with characteristic time scales for the reaction processes below one hundred femtoseconds.
|
|
| 6. |
- Martin, A. V., et al.
(författare)
-
Femtosecond dark-field imaging with an X-ray free electron laser
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 20:12, s. 13501-13512
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The emergence of femtosecond diffractive imaging with X-ray lasers has enabled pioneering structural studies of isolated particles, such as viruses, at nanometer length scales. However, the issue of missing low frequency data significantly limits the potential of X-ray lasers to reveal sub-nanometer details of micrometer-sized samples. We have developed a new technique of dark-field coherent diffractive imaging to simultaneously overcome the missing data issue and enable us to harness the unique contrast mechanisms available in dark-field microscopy. Images of airborne particulate matter (soot) up to two microns in length were obtained using single-shot diffraction patterns obtained at the Linac Coherent Light Source, four times the size of objects previously imaged in similar experiments. This technique opens the door to femtosecond diffractive imaging of a wide range of micrometer-sized materials that exhibit irreproducible complexity down to the nanoscale, including airborne particulate matter, small cells, bacteria and gold-labeled biological samples.
|
|
| 7. |
- Martin, A. V., et al.
(författare)
-
Noise-robust coherent diffractive imaging with a single diffraction pattern
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 20:15, s. 16650-16661
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The resolution of single-shot coherent diffractive imaging at X-ray free-electron laser facilities is limited by the low signal-to-noise level of diffraction data at high scattering angles. The iterative reconstruction methods, which phase a continuous diffraction pattern to produce an image, must be able to extract information from these weak signals to obtain the best quality images. Here we show how to modify iterative reconstruction methods to improve tolerance to noise. The method is demonstrated with the hybrid input-output method on both simulated data and single-shot diffraction patterns taken at the Linac Coherent Light Source. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America
|
|
| 8. |
- Rohringer, N., et al.
(författare)
-
Stimulated X-Ray Raman Scattering with Free-Electron Laser Sources
- 2016
-
Ingår i: X-Ray Lasers 2014. - Cham : Springer. - 0930-8989. - 9783319195216 - 9783319195209 ; , s. 201-207
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stimulated electronic x-ray Raman scattering is the building block for several proposed x-ray pump probe techniques, that would allow the study of electron dynamics at unprecedented timescales.We present high spectral resolution data on stimulated electronic x-ray Raman scattering in a gas sample of neon using a self-amplified spontaneous emission x-ray free-electron laser. Despite the limited spectral coherence and broad bandwidth of these sources, high-resolution spectra can be obtained by statistical methods, opening the path to coherent stimulated x-ray Raman spectroscopy. An extension of these ideas to molecules and the results of a recent experiment in CO are discussed.
|
|
| 9. |
- Gomez, L. F., et al.
(författare)
-
Shapes and vorticities of superfluid helium nanodroplets
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 345:6199, s. 906-909
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Helium nanodroplets are considered ideal model systems to explore quantum hydrodynamics in self-contained, isolated superfluids. However, exploring the dynamic properties of individual droplets is experimentally challenging. In this work, we used single-shot femtosecond x-ray coherent diffractive imaging to investigate the rotation of single, isolated superfluid helium-4 droplets containing ~108 to 1011 atoms. The formation of quantum vortex lattices inside the droplets is confirmed by observing characteristic Bragg patterns from xenon clusters trapped in the vortex cores. The vortex densities are up to five orders of magnitude larger than those observed in bulk liquid helium. The droplets exhibit large centrifugal deformations but retain axially symmetric shapes at angular velocities well beyond the stability range of viscous classical droplets.
|
|
| 10. |
- Jahnke, T., et al.
(författare)
-
Inner-Shell-Ionization-Induced Femtosecond Structural Dynamics of Water Molecules Imaged at an X-Ray Free-Electron Laser
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Physical Review X. - : American Physical Society. - 2160-3308. ; 11:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ultrafast structural dynamics of water following inner-shell ionization is a crucial issue in high-energy radiation chemistry. We have exposed isolated water molecules to a short x-ray pulse from a free-electron laser and detected momenta of all produced ions in coincidence. By combining experimental results and theoretical modeling, we can image dissociation dynamics of individual molecules in unprecedented detail. We reveal significant molecular structural dynamics in H2O2+, such as asymmetric deformation and bond-angle opening, leading to two-body or three-body fragmentation on a timescale of a few femtoseconds. We thus reconstruct several snapshots of structural dynamics at different time intervals, which highlight dynamical patterns that are relevant as initiating steps of subsequent radiation-damage processes.
|
|
