| 1. |
- Couto, Rafael C., et al.
(author)
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Anomalously strong two-electron one-photon X-ray decay transitions in CO caused by avoided crossing
- 2016
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The unique opportunity to study and control electron-nuclear quantum dynamics in coupled potentials offered by the resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) technique is utilized to unravel an anomalously strong two-electron one-photon transition from core-excited to Rydberg final states in the CO molecule. High-resolution RIXS measurements of CO in the energy region of 12-14 eV are presented and analyzed by means of quantum simulations using the wave packet propagation formalism and ab initio calculations of potential energy curves and transition dipole moments. The very good overall agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions allows an in-depth interpretation of the salient spectral features in terms of Coulomb mixing of "dark" with "bright" final states leading to an effective two-electron one-photon transition. The present work illustrates that the improved spectral resolution of RIXS spectra achievable today may call for more advanced theories than what has been used in the past.
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| 2. |
- Couto, Rafael C., et al.
(author)
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Coupled electron-nuclear dynamics in resonant 1 sigma -> 2 pi x-ray Raman scattering of CO molecules
- 2016
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In: Physical Review A. - : American Physical Society. - 2469-9926. ; 93:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a detailed experimental-theoretical analysis of O K-edge resonant 1 sigma-2 pi inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) from carbon monoxide with unprecedented energy resolution. We employ high-level ab initio calculations to compute the potential energy curves of the states involved in the RIXS process and simulate the measured RIXS spectra using the wave-packet-propagation formalism, including Coulomb coupling in the final-state manifold. The theoretical analysis allows us to explain all the key features of the experimental spectra, including some that were not seen before. First, we clearly show the interference effect between different RIXS channels corresponding to the transition via orthogonal (1)Pi(x) and (1)Pi(y) core-excited states of CO. Second, the RIXS region of 13 eV energy loss presents a triple structure, revealed only by the high-resolution measurement. In previous studies, this region was attributed solely to a valence state. Here we show a strong Coulomb mixing of the Rydberg and valence final states, which opens the forbidden RIXS channels to the "dark" final Rydberg states and drastically changes the RIXS profile. Third, using a combination of high-resolution experiment and high-level theory, we improve the vertical bar 4 sigma(-1)2 pi(1)> final-state potential-energy curve by fitting its bottom part with the experiment. Also, the coupling constants between Rydberg and valence states were refined via comparison with the experiment. Our results illustrate the large potential of the RIXS technique for advanced studies of highly excited states of neutral molecules.
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| 3. |
- Couto, Rafael C., et al.
(author)
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Coupled electron-nuclear dynamics in resonant 1σ→2π x-ray Raman scattering of CO molecules
- 2016
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In: Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics). - 1050-2947. ; 93:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a detailed experimental-theoretical analysis of O K-edge resonant 1σ-2π inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) from carbon monoxide with unprecedented energy resolution. We employ high-level ab initio calculations to compute the potential energy curves of the states involved in the RIXS process and simulate the measured RIXS spectra using the wave-packet-propagation formalism, including Coulomb coupling in the final-state manifold. The theoretical analysis allows us to explain all the key features of the experimental spectra, including some that were not seen before. First, we clearly show the interference effect between different RIXS channels corresponding to the transition via orthogonal Πx1 and Πy1 core-excited states of CO. Second, the RIXS region of 13 eV energy loss presents a triple structure, revealed only by the high-resolution measurement. In previous studies, this region was attributed solely to a valence state. Here we show a strong Coulomb mixing of the Rydberg and valence final states, which opens the forbidden RIXS channels to the "dark" final Rydberg states and drastically changes the RIXS profile. Third, using a combination of high-resolution experiment and high-level theory, we improve the |4σ-12π1) final-state potential-energy curve by fitting its bottom part with the experiment. Also, the coupling constants between Rydberg and valence states were refined via comparison with the experiment. Our results illustrate the large potential of the RIXS technique for advanced studies of highly excited states of neutral molecules.
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| 4. |
- Savchenko, Viktoriia, et al.
(author)
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Hydrogen bond effects in multimode nuclear dynamics of acetic acid observed via resonant x-ray scattering
- 2021
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In: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 154:21
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A theoretical and experimental study of the gas phase and liquid acetic acid based on resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopy is presented. We combine and compare different levels of theory for an isolated molecule for a comprehensive analysis, including electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom. The excitation energy scan over the oxygen K-edge absorption reveals nuclear dynamic effects in the core-excited and final electronic states. The theoretical simulations for the monomer and two different forms of the dimer are compared against high-resolution experimental data for pure liquid acetic acid. We show that the theoretical model based on a dimer describes the hydrogen bond formation in the liquid phase well and that this bond formation sufficiently alters the RIXS spectra, allowing us to trace these effects directly from the experiment. Multimode vibrational dynamics is accounted for in our simulations by using a hybrid time-dependent stationary approach for the quantum nuclear wave packet simulations, showing the important role it plays in RIXS.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Savchenko, Viktoriia, et al.
(author)
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Vibrational resonant inelastic X-ray scattering in liquid acetic acid : a ruler for molecular chain lengths
- 2021
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quenching of vibrational excitations in resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra of liquid acetic acid is observed. At the oxygen core resonance associated with localized excitations at the O-H bond, the spectra lack the typical progression of vibrational excitations observed in RIXS spectra of comparable systems. We interpret this phenomenon as due to strong rehybridization of the unoccupied molecular orbitals as a result of hydrogen bonding, which however cannot be observed in x-ray absorption but only by means of RIXS. This allows us to address the molecular structure of the liquid, and to determine a lower limit for the average molecular chain length.
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| 7. |
- Söderström, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Parity violation in resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering at entangled core holes
- 2024
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In: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 10:7, s. 3114-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) is a major method for investigation of electronic structure and dynamics, with applications ranging from basic atomic physics to materials science. In RIXS applied to inversion-symmetric systems, it has generally been accepted that strict parity selectivity applies in the sub-kilo-electron volt region. In contrast, we show that the parity selection rule is violated in the RIXS spectra of the free homonuclear diatomic O2 molecule. By analyzing the spectral dependence on scattering angle, we demonstrate that the violation is due to the phase difference in coherent scattering at the two atomic sites, in analogy with Young's double-slit experiment. The result also implies that the interpretation of x-ray absorption spectra for inversion symmetric molecules in this energy range must be revised.
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| 8. |
- Barreau, Lou, et al.
(author)
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Core-excited states of Formula Presented probed with soft-x-ray femtosecond transient absorption of vibrational wave packets
- 2023
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In: Physical Review A: covering atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information. - : American Physical Society (APS). - 2469-9926 .- 2469-9934. ; 108:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A vibrational wavepacket in Formula Presented is created by impulsive stimulated Raman scattering with a few-cycle infrared pulse and mapped simultaneously onto five sulfur core-excited states using table-top soft x-ray transient absorption spectroscopy between 170 to 200 eV. The femtosecond vibrations induce real-time energy shifts of the x-ray absorption, whose amplitude depend strongly on the nature of the core-excited state. The pump laser intensity is used to control the number of vibrational states in the superposition, thereby accessing core-excited levels for various extensions of the S-F stretching motion. This enables the determination of the relative core-level potential energy gradients for the symmetric stretching mode, in good agreement with TDDFT calculations. This experiment demonstrates a new means of characterizing core-excited potential energy curves.
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| 9. |
- Blinov, Svyatoslav N., et al.
(author)
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Mapping molecular potentials using pump-probe spectroscopy of vibrational wave packets' revival
- 2023
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In: Physical Review A: covering atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information. - : American Physical Society (APS). - 2469-9926 .- 2469-9934. ; 108:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, we investigate the nuclear dynamics in nitrogen monoxide after valence ionization by a pump pulse and subsequent probing with a time-delayed x-ray pulse. We calculate the development of the resulting vibrational wave packet, taking into account three different ionization mechanisms: one-photon, multiphoton, and tunneling ionization. Using a two-time propagation method, we solve the nonstationary nuclear Schrödinger equation to obtain time-resolved x-ray absorption spectra (TRXAS), considering the finite duration of the probe pulse. Our simulations show that the TRXAS profile accurately reflects the vibrational wave packets' trajectory in the cationic ground state. Additionally, we find that the TRXAS evolution is highly sensitive to small changes in the probed potential energy curve, making it a useful tool for reconstructing molecular potentials and determining anharmonicity and equilibrium bond length. This method can be applied to other polyatomic molecules and pump mechanisms.
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| 10. |
- C. Couto, Rafael, 1987-, et al.
(author)
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Selective gating to vibrational modes through resonant X-ray scattering
- 2017
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In: Nature Communications. - : Macmillan Publishers Ltd.. - 2041-1723. ; 8, s. 14165-1-14165-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The dynamics of fragmentation and vibration of molecular systems with a large number of coupled degrees of freedom are key aspects for understanding chemical reactivity and properties. Here we present a resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) study to show how it is possible to break down such a complex multidimensional problem into elementary components. Local multimode nuclear wave packets created by X-ray excitation to different core-excited potential energy surfaces (PESs) will act as spatial gates to selectively probe the particular ground-state vibrational modes and, hence, the PES along these modes. We demonstrate this principle by combining ultra-high resolution RIXS measurements for gas-phase water with state-of-the-art simulations.
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