| 1. |
- Boll, Rebecca, et al.
(author)
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Imaging molecular structure through femtosecond photoelectron diffraction on aligned and oriented gas-phase molecules
- 2014
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In: Faraday Discussions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1364-5498. ; 171, s. 57-80
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper gives an account of our progress towards performing femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules in a pump-probe setup combining optical lasers and an X-ray free-electron laser. We present results of two experiments aimed at measuring photoelectron angular distributions of laser-aligned 1-ethynyl-4-fluorobenzene (C8H5F) and dissociating, laser-aligned 1,4-dibromobenzene (C6H4Br2) molecules and discuss them in the larger context of photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules. We also show how the strong nanosecond laser pulse used for adiabatically laser-aligning the molecules influences the measured electron and ion spectra and angular distributions, and discuss how this may affect the outcome of future time-resolved photoelectron diffraction experiments.
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| 2. |
- Canton, Sophie, et al.
(author)
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Direct observation of Young's double-slit interferences in vibrationally resolved photoionization of diatomic molecules.
- 2011
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 108:18, s. 7302-7306
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vibrationally resolved valence-shell photoionization spectra of H(2), N(2) and CO have been measured in the photon energy range 20-300 eV using third-generation synchrotron radiation. Young's double-slit interferences lead to oscillations in the corresponding vibrational ratios, showing that the molecules behave as two-center electron-wave emitters and that the associated interferences leave their trace in the angle-integrated photoionization cross section. In contrast to previous work, the oscillations are directly observable in the experiment, thereby removing any possible ambiguity related to the introduction of external parameters or fitting functions. A straightforward extension of an original idea proposed by Cohen and Fano [Cohen HD, Fano U (1966) Phys Rev 150:30] confirms this interpretation and shows that it is also valid for diatomic heteronuclear molecules. Results of accurate theoretical calculations are in excellent agreement with the experimental findings.
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| 3. |
- Carvalho Couto, Rafael, 1987-
(author)
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Coupled electron-nuclear dynamics in inelastic X-ray scattering
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This Thesis is devoted to theoretical and experimental studies of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) of carbon monoxide and water molecules. Using state-of-the-art ab initio electronic structure calculations and a time-dependent wave packet formalism, we make a complete analysis of the experimental RIXS spectra of the two molecular systems. In the CO RIXS analysis, we are able to reproduce the RIXS experiment with an excellent accuracy. Interference between different RIXS channels corresponding to the scattering via orthogonal molecular orbitals in the core-excited state of CO is described. We show the complete breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation in the region where forbidden final Rydberg states are mixed with a valence allowed final state. Here we explain the formation of a spectral feature which was attributed to a single state in previous studies. Moreover, through an experimental-theoretical combination, we improve the minimum of the valence E’Π excited state potential, along with the coupling constant between two Rydberg states. We developed a new theoretical approach to describe triatomic molecules through the wave packet propagation formalism to study the water system, which reproduces with high accuracy the vibrational structure of the high-resolution experimental quasi-elastic RIXS spectra. We demonstrate that due to the vibrational mode coupling and anharmonicity of the ground and core-excited potential energy surfaces, different core-excited states in RIXS can be used as gates to probe different vibrational dynamics and to map the ground state potential. Isotopic substitution is investigated by theoretical simulations and important dynamical features are discussed, especially for the dissociative core-excited state, where a so-called “atomic” peak is formed. We show the strong potential of high-resolution RIXS experiments combined with high-level theoretical simulations for advanced studies of highly excited molecular states.
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| 4. |
- de Groot, Frank M. F., et al.
(author)
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2p x-ray absorption spectroscopy of 3d transition metal systems
- 2021
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In: Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena. - : Elsevier BV. - 0368-2048 .- 1873-2526. ; 249
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This review provides an overview of the different methods and computer codes that are used to interpret 2p x-ray absorption spectra of 3d transition metal ions. We first introduce the basic parameters and give an overview of the methods used. We start with the semi-empirical multiplet codes and compare the different codes that are available. A special chapter is devoted to the user friendly interfaces that have been written on the basis of these codes. Next we discuss the first principle codes based on band structure, including a chapter on Density Functional theory based approaches. We also give an overview of the first-principle multiplet codes that start from a cluster calculation and we discuss the wavefunction based methods, including multi-reference methods. We end the review with a discussion of the link between theory and experiment and discuss the open issues in the spectral analysis.
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| 5. |
- Decleva, Piero, et al.
(author)
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Interference effects in photoelectron asymmetry parameter (beta) trends of C 2s(-1) states of ethyne, ethene and ethane
- 2016
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In: Journal of Physics B. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-4075 .- 1361-6455. ; 49:23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Photoelectron asymmetry parameters (beta) of the gerade and ungerade C 2s(-1) derived states of ethyne, ethene and ethane as a function of photon energy have been calculated and experimentally measured, to extend the search of interference effects on angular distributions to polyatomic molecules. The calculations cover the electron energy range from 0 to 1100 eV while the experimental measurements cover the electron energy range from 30 to 220 eV. Clear oscillations are interpreted in terms of interference of the photoelectron wave emitted from the two possible C 2s centres, or equivalently from the gerade and ungerade states associated with them. This is a microscopic analog of Young's double-slit experiment. The effect is however quite small and requires very high experimental accuracy to be detected. It is best evidenced in the behaviour of beta difference between the two channels. The connection between beta trends and structural parameters shows the expected inverse correlation between oscillation period and distance between the carbon atoms, but do not simply parallel the analogous behaviour found in cross sections.
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| 6. |
- Gao, Bin, 1980-
(author)
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First Principles Studies of Carbon Based Molecular Materials
- 2008
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this thesis was to investigate carbon based molecular materials at first principles levels. Special attention has been paid to simulations of X-ray spectroscopies, including near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), X-ray photoelectron, and X-ray emission spectroscopy, which can provide detailed information about core, occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals of the systems under investigation. Theoretical calculations have helped to assign fine spectral structures in high resolution NEXAFS spectra of five azabenzenes (pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine, pyridazine and s-triazine), and to identify different local chemical environments among them. With the help of NEXAFS, the characters of important chemical bonds that might be responsible for the unique magnetic properties of the tetracyanoethylene compound has been revealed. Calculations have demonstrated that X-ray spectroscopies are powerful tools for isomer identification and structure determination of fullerenes and endohedral metallofullerenes. A joint experimental and theoretical study on metallofullerene Gd@C82 has firmly determined its equilibrium structure, in which the gadolinium atom lies above the hexagon on the C2 axis. It is found that the gadolinium atom could oscillate around its equilibrium position and that its oscillation amplitude increases with increasing temperature. In this thesis, several new computational schemes for large-scale systems have been proposed. Parallel implementation of a central insertion scheme (CIS) has been realized, which allows to effectively calculate electronic structures of very large systems, up to 150,000 electrons, at hybrid density functional theory levels. In comparison with traditional computational methods, CIS provides results with the same high accuracy but requires only a fraction of computational time. One of its applications is to calculate electronic structures of nanodiamond clusters varying from 0.76 nm (29 carbons) to 7.3 nm (20,959 carbons) in diameter, which enabled to resolve the long-standing debate about the validity of the quantum confinement model for nanodiamonds. Electronic structures and X-ray spectroscopies of a series of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with different diameters and lengths have been calculated, which have made it possible to interpret the existing experimental results.
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| 7. |
- Ignatova, Nina, 1989-
(author)
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Multimode resonant X-ray scattering of free molecules
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis is focused on the role that nuclear dynamics plays in the formation of X-ray absorption (XAS) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra of multimode free molecules. A combined approach based on ab initio electronic structure methods and quantum nuclear wave packet dynamics is applied to two systems -- water and methanol in the gas phase. An IR-pump – X-ray-probe spectroscopy of vibrationally excited water and its isotope substitutions is employed to explore different vibrational progressions of the final electronic state due to a spatial filtration of the vibrations in the core-excited state and selection rules. It was demonstrated the possibility to use RIXS as a tool to study X-ray absorption from a selected vibrational level of the ground state. IR-pump – X-ray-probe spectroscopy applied to the HDO molecule sheds light on the old classical problem of wave function collapse: we demonstrate numerically the gradual collapse of the initially localised vibrational wave function in the HDO molecule. It is also explained the dynamical nature of the splitting of the 1b1 peak in the RIXS spectrum of H2O, HDO and D2O molecules. This splitting is referred to close-lying molecular and atomic-like peaks. In order to study the methanol molecule a special theoretical tool for studies of multimode molecules has been developed. This approach combines the advantages of the quantum wave packet technique for simulations of the dynamics in dissociative states with the efficiency of the Franck-Condon method for computing transitions between bound states. It is shown that the multimode nuclear dynamics plays an important role in XAS and RIXS spectra of methanol. The XAS and RIXS spectra formation was explained taking into account different dynamics in different core-excited potential energy surfaces, as well as the entanglement of vibrational modes by anharmonicity and by the life-time vibrational interference.
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| 8. |
- Kushawaha, Rajesh Kumar, et al.
(author)
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From double-slit interference to structural information in simple hydrocarbons
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 110:38, s. 15201-15206
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Interferences in coherent emission of photoelectrons from two equivalent atomic centers in a molecule are the microscopic analogies of the celebrated Young's double-slit experiment. By considering inner-valence shell ionization in the series of simple hydrocarbons C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6, we show that double-slit interference is widespread and has built-in quantitative information on geometry, orbital composition, and many-body effects. A theoretical and experimental study is presented over the photon energy range of 70-700 eV. A strong dependence of the oscillation period on the C-C distance is observed, which can be used to determine bond lengths between selected pairs of equivalent atoms with an accuracy of at least 0.01 angstrom. Furthermore, we show that the observed oscillations are directly informative of the nature and atomic composition of the inner-valence molecular orbitals and that observed ratios are quantitative measures of elusive many-body effects. The technique and analysis can be immediately extended to a large class of compounds.
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| 9. |
- Kushawaha, Rajesh K., et al.
(author)
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Multi-slit-type interference in carbon 2s photoionization of polyatomic molecules : from a fundamental effect to structural parameters
- 2019
-
In: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 21:25, s. 13600-13610
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In molecular photoemission, the analogue of the celebrated Young's double slit experiment is coherent electron emission from two equivalent atomic centers, giving rise to an interference pattern. Here multi-slit interference is investigated in inner-valence photoionization of propane, n-butane, isobutane and methyl peroxide. A more complex pattern is observed due to molecular orbital delocalization in polyatomic molecules, blurring the distinction between interference and diffraction. The potential to extract geometrical information is emphasized, as a more powerful extension of the EXAFS technique. Accurate reproduction of experimental features is obtained by simulations at the static Density Functional Theory level.
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| 10. |
- Manni, Giovanni Li, et al.
(author)
-
The OpenMolcas Web : A Community-Driven Approach to Advancing Computational Chemistry
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1549-9618 .- 1549-9626. ; 19:20, s. 6933-6991
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The developments of the open-source OpenMolcas chemistry software environment since spring 2020 are described, with a focus on novel functionalities accessible in the stable branch of the package or via interfaces with other packages. These developments span a wide range of topics in computational chemistry and are presented in thematic sections: electronic structure theory, electronic spectroscopy simulations, analytic gradients and molecular structure optimizations, ab initio molecular dynamics, and other new features. This report offers an overview of the chemical phenomena and processes OpenMolcas can address, while showing that OpenMolcas is an attractive platform for state-of-the-art atomistic computer simulations.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Schiessling, Joachim, et al.
(author)
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The Role of Charge-Charge Correlations and Covalent Bonding in the Electronic Structure of Adsorbed C-60 : C-60/A1
- 2010
-
In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 114:43, s. 18686-18692
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aromatic molecules are central components of model systems for molecular electronics, with C-60 one of the most studied. Upon adsorption on (metallic) substrates a splitting of the frontier orbitals is commonly observed, with a strong dependence on substrate material, but little dependence on substrate structure. We report the detailed photoelectron angle dependence of C-60/A1(110) over a wide range of energy, finding a strong remnant molecular character. In particular, certain HOMO-derived suborbitals couple strongly, and others weakly, with the metal, which results in final state charging for those weakly coupled. C Is data correlate well with the assignments made on this basis, as does the comparison of ground state partial densities-of-states (PDOS) to photoelectron spectra. Detailed analysis of the PDOS supports a rough division into surface-near and surface-far components, in agreement with the molecular picture. The component spectral widths are attributed to intramolecular vibrational coupling, which is suggested to aid in the electronic decoupling of certain suborbitals from the substrate, facilitating the observed final state charging.
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| 13. |
- Schio, Luca, et al.
(author)
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Photoionization Dynamics of the Tetraoxo Complexes OsO4 and RuO4
- 2020
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In: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 59:10, s. 7274-7282
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The photoionization dynamics of OsO4 and RuO4, chosen as model systems of small-size mononuclear heavy-metal complexes, has been theoretically studied by the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Accurate experimental measurements of photoionization dynamics as a benchmarking test for the theory are reported for the photoelectron asymmetry parameters of outer valence ionizations of OsO4, measured in the 17–90 eV photon energy range. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The observed dynamical behavior of partial cross sections and asymmetry parameters has been related to both the coupling to the continuum of discrete excited states, giving strong modulations in the photon energy dependency, and the atomic composition of the initial ionized states, which determines the rate of decay of ionization probability for increasing excitation energies. Overall, an extensive analysis of the photoionization dynamics for valence and core orbitals is presented, showing good agreement with all the available experimental data. This provides confidence for the validity of the TDDFT approach in describing photoionization of heavy transition element compounds, with the perspective of being used for larger systems. Further experimental work is suggested for RuO4 to gather evidence of the sensitivity of the theoretical method to the nature of the metal atom.
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| 14. |
- Travnikova, Oksana, et al.
(author)
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Energy-Dependent Relative Cross Sections in Carbon 1s Photoionization : Separation of Direct Shake and Inelastic Scattering Effects in Single Molecules
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 123:35, s. 7619-7635
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate that the possibility of monitoring relative photoionization cross sections over a large photon energy range allows us to study and disentangle shake processes and intramolecular inelastic scattering effects. In this gas-phase study, relative intensities of the carbon 1s photoelectron lines from chemically inequivalent carbon atoms in the same molecule have been measured as a function of the incident photon energy in the range of 300-6000 eV. We present relative cross sections for the chemically shifted carbon 1s lines in the photoelectron spectra of ethyl trifluoroacetate (the "ESCA" molecule). The results are compared with those of methyl trifluoroacetate and S-ethyl trifluorothioacetate as well as a series of chloro-substituted ethanes and 2-butyne. In the soft X-ray energy range, the cross sections show an extended X-ray absorption fine structure type of wiggles, as was previously observed for a series of chloroethanes. The oscillations are damped in the hard X-ray energy range, but deviations of cross-section ratios from stoichiometry persist, even at high energies. The current findings are supported by theoretical calculations based on a multiple scattering model. The use of soft and tender X-rays provides a more complete picture of the dominant processes accompanying photoionization. Such processes reduce the main photoelectron line intensities by 20-60%. Using both energy ranges enabled us to discern the process of intramolecular inelastic scattering of the outgoing electron, whose significance is otherwise difficult to assess for isolated molecules. This effect relates to the notion of the inelastic mean free path commonly used in photoemission studies of clusters and condensed matter.
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