Gas phase molecular relaxation probed by synchrotron radiation experiments

• This thesis presents experimental studies of gas phasemolecular relaxation after excitation with synchrotron photonsin the 15-35 eV and in the 70-350 eV regions.In the 15-35 eV region, molecular relaxation by neutraldissociation processes and nonFranck-Condon effects in N2 and O2 molecules have beenstudied by means of dispersed fluorescence and photoelectronspectroscopy experimental techniques, respectively. From thedispersed fluorescence data, excitation functions for themeasured atomic fluorescence spectra have been obtained. Fromthe recorded photoelectron spectra vibrational branching ratioshave been produced. The results obtained reveal that Rydbergseries and singly and doubly excited valence states of theappropriate symmetry energetically accessible in the studiedregion and interactions between themaccount for most of theobserved effects in these two type of experiments.In the 70-350 eV range, molecular relaxation processesresulting in fragmentation of CD4 and SF6 after absorption ofsynchrotron light have been studied by energy resolved electronion coincidence technique using a multicoincidence experimentalstation developed by our group during the last five years forsuch type of experiments. The coincidence measurements yieldedmass spectra from which information about the kinematics of thedetected fragments has been deduced by means of Monte Carlosimulations of the experimental peak shapes. The obtainedresults show completely different dissociation patternsdepending on the molecular electronic states studied. Thesepatterns reflect the bonding properties of the excited orbitalsand they permit the description and in some cases theidentification of the different molecular relaxation pathwaysobserved. The achievements presented in this thesis exemplifythe potential of the multicoincidence station used in thereported experiments.

Nyckelord

Molecular relaxation

synchrotron radiation

dispersed fluorescence

photoelectron spectroscopy

energy resolved electron ion coincidence technique

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

dok (ämneskategori)