| 1. |
- Barillot, T., et al.
(author)
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Correlation-Driven Transient Hole Dynamics Resolved in Space and Time in the Isopropanol Molecule
- 2021
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In: Physical Review X. - : American Physical Society. - 2160-3308. ; 11:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The possibility of suddenly ionized molecules undergoing extremely fast electron hole (or hole) dynamics prior to significant structural change was first recognized more than 20 years ago and termed charge migration. The accurate probing of ultrafast electron hole dynamics requires measurements that have both sufficient temporal resolution and can detect the localization of a specific hole within the molecule. We report an investigation of the dynamics of inner valence hole states in isopropanol where we use an x-ray pump-x-ray probe experiment, with site and state-specific probing of a transient hole state localized near the oxygen atom in the molecule, together with an ab initio theoretical treatment. We record the signature of transient hole dynamics and make the first tentative observation of dynamics driven by frustrated Auger-Meitner transitions. We verify that the effective hole lifetime is consistent with our theoretical prediction. This state-specific measurement paves the way to widespread application for observations of transient hole dynamics localized in space and time in molecules and thus to charge transfer phenomena that are fundamental in chemical and material physics.
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| 2. |
- Sanchez-Gonzalez, A., et al.
(author)
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Accurate prediction of X-ray pulse properties from a free-electron laser using machine learning
- 2017
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Free-electron lasers providing ultra-short high-brightness pulses of X-ray radiation have great potential for a wide impact on science, and are a critical element for unravelling the structural dynamics of matter. To fully harness this potential, we must accurately know the X-ray properties: intensity, spectrum and temporal profile. Owing to the inherent fluctuations in free-electron lasers, this mandates a full characterization of the properties for each and every pulse. While diagnostics of these properties exist, they are often invasive and many cannot operate at a high-repetition rate. Here, we present a technique for circumventing this limitation. Employing a machine learning strategy, we can accurately predict X-ray properties for every shot using only parameters that are easily recorded at high-repetition rate, by training a model on a small set of fully diagnosed pulses. This opens the door to fully realizing the promise of next-generation high-repetition rate X-ray lasers.
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| 3. |
- Sanchez-Gonzalez, A., et al.
(author)
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Auger electron and photoabsorption spectra of glycine in the vicinity of the oxygen K-edge measured with an X-FEL
- 2015
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In: Journal of Physics B-Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-4075 .- 1361-6455. ; 48:23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the first measurement of the near oxygen K-edge auger spectrum of the glycine molecule. Our work employed an x-ray free electron laser as the photon source operated with input photon energies tunable between 527 and 547 eV. Complete electron spectra were recorded at each photon energy in the tuning range, revealing resonant and non-resonant auger structures. Finally ab initio theoretical predictions are compared with the measured above the edge auger spectrum and an assignment of auger decay channels is performed.
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| 4. |
- Frasinski, L. J., et al.
(author)
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Dynamics of Hollow Atom Formation in Intense X-Ray Pulses Probed by Partial Covariance Mapping
- 2013
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 111:7, s. 073002-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When exposed to ultraintense x-radiation sources such as free electron lasers (FELs) the innermost electronic shell can efficiently be emptied, creating a transient hollow atom or molecule. Understanding the femtosecond dynamics of such systems is fundamental to achieving atomic resolution in flash diffraction imaging of noncrystallized complex biological samples. We demonstrate the capacity of a correlation method called partial covariance mapping'' to probe the electron dynamics of neon atoms exposed to intense 8 fs pulses of 1062 eV photons. A complete picture of ionization processes competing in hollow atom formation and decay is visualized with unprecedented ease and the map reveals hitherto unobserved nonlinear sequences of photoionization and Auger events. The technique is particularly well suited to the high counting rate inherent in FEL experiments.
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| 5. |
- Mucke, Melanie, et al.
(author)
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Covariance mapping of two-photon double core hole states in C2H2 and C2H6 produced by an x-ray free electron laser
- 2015
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In: New Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1367-2630. ; 17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Few-photon ionization and relaxation processes in acetylene (C2H2) and ethane (C2H6) were investigated at the linac coherent light source x-ray free electron laser (FEL) at SLAC, Stanford using a highly efficient multi-particle correlation spectroscopy technique based on a magnetic bottle. The analysis method of covariance mapping has been applied and enhanced, allowing us to identify electron pairs associated with double core hole (DCH) production and competing multiple ionization processes including Auger decay sequences. The experimental technique and the analysis procedure are discussed in the light of earlier investigations of DCH studies carried out at the same FEL and at third generation synchrotron radiation sources. In particular, we demonstrate the capability of the covariance mapping technique to disentangle the formation of molecular DCH states which is barely feasible with conventional electron spectroscopy methods.
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| 6. |
- Zhaunerchyk, Vitali, et al.
(author)
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Using covariance mapping to investigate the dynamics of multi-photon ionization processes of Ne atoms exposed to X-FEL pulses
- 2013
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In: Journal of Physics B. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-4075 .- 1361-6455. ; 46:16, s. 164034-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on a detailed investigation into the electron emission processes of Ne atoms exposed to intense femtosecond x-ray pulses, provided by the Linac Coherent Light Source Free Electron Laser (FEL) at Stanford. The covariance mapping technique is applied to analyse the data, and the capability of this approach to disentangle both linear and nonlinear correlation features which may be hidden on coincidence maps of the same data set is demonstrated. Different correction techniques which enable improvements on the quality of the spectral features extracted from the covariance maps are explored. Finally, a method for deriving characteristics of the x-ray FEL pulses based on covariance mapping in combination with model simulations is presented.
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| 7. |
- Berrah, N., et al.
(author)
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Femtosecond-resolved observation of the fragmentation of buckminsterfullerene following X-ray multiphoton ionization
- 2019
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In: Nature Physics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-2473 .- 1745-2481. ; 15, s. 1279-1283
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray free-electron lasers have, over the past decade, opened up the possibility of understanding the ultrafast response of matter to intense X-ray pulses. In earlier research on atoms and small molecules, new aspects of this response were uncovered, such as rapid sequences of inner-shell photoionization and Auger ionization. Here, we studied a larger molecule, buckminsterfullerene (C60), exposed to 640eV X-rays, and examined the role of chemical effects, such as chemical bonds and charge transfer, on the fragmentation following multiple ionization of the molecule. To provide time resolution, we performed femtosecond-resolved X-ray pump/X-ray probe measurements, which were accompanied by advanced simulations. The simulations and experiment reveal that despite substantial ionization induced by the ultrashort (20fs) X-ray pump pulse, the fragmentation of C60 is considerably delayed. This work uncovers the persistence of the molecular structure of C60, which hinders fragmentation over a timescale of hundreds of femtoseconds. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a substantial fraction of the ejected fragments are neutral carbon atoms. These findings provide insights into X-ray free-electron laser-induced radiation damage in large molecules, including biomolecules.
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| 8. |
- Rohringer, N., et al.
(author)
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Stimulated X-Ray Raman Scattering with Free-Electron Laser Sources
- 2016
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In: X-Ray Lasers 2014. - Cham : Springer. - 0930-8989. - 9783319195216 - 9783319195209 ; , s. 201-207
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)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.
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| 9. |
- Wolf, T. J. A., et al.
(author)
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Probing molecular photoinduced dynamics by ultrafast soft x-rays
- 2017
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In: 2017 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC). 25-29 June 2017, Munich, Germany. - : IEEE. - 9781509067367 - 9781509067374
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Summary form only given. Molecules selectively transform light energy from the sun into other forms of energy like heat, electricity, or chemical energy with high quantum efficiency. The energy conversion process is the result of a correlated motion of electrons and nuclei after photoexcitation, often under breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The element and site selectivity of x-rays allows observing molecular processes from a different point of view compared to ultrafast optical probes [1,2]. I will concentrate on time resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The method provides high selectivity on the transient electronic structure of a molecule. Recently, we establishes this method in the soft x-ray domain for probing ππ* to nπ* transitions, a general and important process for molecular energy conversion. Fig. 1 shows a sketch of thymine, used in the experiment, with one of the oxygen 1s core orbitals and the π,n and π* valence orbitals. While valence orbitals are generally delocalized over the whole molecular body, the lone pair n orbital is essentially an oxygen 2p orbital. An x-ray induced transition from the oxygen 1s to the n orbital will result in a strong absorption maximum in the pre-edge region. We use this feature to probe the molecular dynamics after photoexcitation.
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| 10. |
- Wolf, T.J.A., et al.
(author)
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Probing ultrafast ππ*/nπ* internal conversion in organic chromophores via K-edge resonant absorption
- 2017
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 8:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many photoinduced processes including photosynthesis and human vision happen in organic molecules and involve coupled femtosecond dynamics of nuclei and electrons. Organic molecules with heteroatoms often possess an important excited-state relaxation channel from an optically allowed ππ* to a dark nπ* state. The ππ*/nπ* internal conversion is difficult to investigate, as most spectroscopic methods are not exclusively sensitive to changes in the excited-state electronic structure. Here, we report achieving the required sensitivity by exploiting the element and site specificity of near-edge soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy. As a hole forms in the n orbital during ππ*/nπ* internal conversion, the absorption spectrum at the heteroatom K-edge exhibits an additional resonance. We demonstrate the concept using the nucleobase thymine at the oxygen K-edge, and unambiguously show that ππ*/nπ* internal conversion takes place within (60 ± 30) fs. High-level-coupled cluster calculations confirm the method’s impressive electronic structure sensitivity for excited-state investigations.
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