Channel-Resolved Ultrafast Dissociation Dynamics of NO2 Molecules Studied via Femtosecond Time-Resolved Ion Imaging

The ultrafast dissociation dynamics of NO₂ molecules was investigated by femtosecond laser pump-probe mass spectra and ion images. The results show that the kinetic energy release of NO⁺ ions has two components, 0.05 eV and 0.25 eV, and the possible dissociation channels have been assigned. The channel resolved transient measurement of NO⁺ provides a method to disentangle the contribution of ultrafast dissociation pathways, and the transient curvesof NO⁺ ions at different kinetic energy release are fitted by a biexponential function. The fast component with a decay time of 0.25 ps is generated from the evolution of Rydberg states. The slow component is generated from two competitive channels, one of the channel is absorbing one 400 nm photon to the excited state A²B2, which has a decay time of 30.0 ps, and the other slow channel is absorbing three 400 nm photons to valence type Rydberg states which have a decay time less than 7.2 ps. The channel and time resolved experiment present the potential of sorting out the complex ultrafast dissociation dynamics of molecules.     

Dissociative excitation of water by electron impact

Absolute emission cross sections and threshold energies have been measured for radiation (1850–9000Å) from excited fragments (OH, O and H) produced by electron impact (0–1000 eV) on water vapour. The results are compared with previous experiments and the discrepancies are discussed. The measurements indicate that hydroxyl radicals excited in the A² ∑⁺ state originate from excitation of both singlet and triplet states of the water molecule. Excited atomic fragments arise partly from predissociation of Rydberg states of the water molecule converging to the third ionization potential.     

Rydberg series in the absorption spectra of H2O and D2O in the vacuum ultraviolet

The photoabsorption cross section of molecular H₂O and D₂O has been determined in the range from hν = 10eV to 20 eV with 0.03 Å resolution. A refined analysis of the Rydberg series including the rotational line shapes of several bands to locate the band origins and a comparison with recent ab initio calculations is given. In the region of continuous absorption we have assigned a p-type and an s-type Rydberg series leading to the ²A₁ and the ²B₂ state respectively with quantum defects δ ≈ 0.75 and δ ≈ 1.36.     

Electronically excited and ionized states of the chlorine molecule

Potentials curves for the ground and excited states of the chlorine molecules and its positive and negative ions have been calculated by means of the MRD-CI method. The standard AO basis employed consists of 74 functions including two atomic d and one set of s and p bond species, and the results at the corresponding full CI level are estimated for each state via a perturbation correction. Special emphasis is placed upon the treatment of Rydberg-valence mixing in this system, which phenomenon is found to be essential to the understanding of Cl₂ electronic absorption spectrum. All singlet states which correlate with the lowest dissociation limit plus many others which go to ionic Cl⁺+Cl^? or Rydberg Cl+Cl asymptotes are given explicit consideration. Among the triplet species of Cl₂ which dissociate into the ground state atoms only the ³Π_u state is not repulsive. The calculated D₀ value for the ground state is 2.455 eV compared to the experimental value of 2.475 eV, while the vertical ionization energy and electron affinity are found to be 11.48 and 2.38 eV respectively, also in very good agreement with the corresponding measured data of 11.50 and 2.51 ± 0.1 eV. In addition to Cl₂ laser line is confirmed to result from a ³Π_g → ³Π_u emission, whereby the calculated downward vertical transition energy of 4.86 eV fits in quite well with the known location of this line at 4.805 eV. The first two dipole-allowed transitions from the ground state of chlorine involve ¹Σ_u⁺ and ¹Π_u states which are calculated to be nearly isoenergetic, and these results also match very well with the location of the first absorption band in this spectrum. Finally quite similarly as in O₂ it is found that an avoided crossing between Rydberg and valences states produces a relatively steep potential well for an upper state (2 ¹Σ_u⁺), whose location concides with that of a second absorption band recently observed in synchrotron radiation studies.     

Isotope selective two-step photoionization study of K2 in a supersonic molecular beam

The photoionization efficiency curves for ^39,39K₂ and ^39,41K₂ dimers excited to the B ¹Π_u electronic state have been measured using sequential two-photon-ionization techniques. Accurate determinations of nine photoionization thresholds yield an adiabatic ionization energy of 4.06073 ± 0.00016 eV. Autoionizing Rydberg states are assigned and analyzed. Autoionization rates are measured for several Rydberg vibronic states. The isotopic dependence of the autoionization structure is partially analyzed and molecular constants for the K⁺₂ (²Σ⁺_g) state are derived.     

Translational energy distribution of excited deuterium atoms produced by controlled electron impact on D2

The Balmer-β line of the excited deuterium atom [D*(n = 4)] produced in e—D₂ collisions has been measured at high resolution (0.029–0.033 Å) and at various electron energies (17–100 eV). The translational energy distribution of D*(n = 4) has been calculated from analysis of its Doppler line shape. The distribution of D* has three major components as in the case of H*(n = 4) from H₂ reported in our previous paper. Their peaks lie at about 0, 6 and 8 eV. The excitation function of D* is found to have two thresholds at 17.4 and 26.4 eV. The second component of D* has a larger translational energy and a higher threshold than those of the corresponding component of H*. These results indicate that the contribution from the lowest doubly excited state, ¹Σ_g⁺(2pσ_u)², is much smaller for D₂ than that for H₂.     

Translational energy distributions and production mechanisms of the excited hydrogen atom (n = 3,4) produced in e-NH3 collisions

The Balmer α and β lines produced in e-NH₃ collisions have been measured precisely with the use of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. These lines are not polarized. The translational energy distributions of (H^*(n = 3,4) were determined from analysis of Doppler lineshapes and have five components; their peaks lie at 1, 3, 2, 4–5 and 8–12 eV. The excitation function [H^*(n = 4)] has five thresholds at 22.5, 29.0, 33.3, 38.9 and 41.7 eV, and indicates that five dissociation processes contribute to the formation of H^*. Excitation to the Rydberg states converging to the (2a₁)^?1 state of NH₃⁺ is a major process for the formation of the first and the second components. Doubly excited Rydberg states play important roles in the dissociative excitation of NH₃.     

Thermal-energy charge transfer of Ar+ with H2O: Internal and kinetic energy of the product H2O+

The reaction of Ar⁺ with H₂O has been investigated at near-thermal energy. The product ions H₂O⁺ and ArH⁺ account for 90 and 10% of the total reaction rate, respectively. Kinetic energy measurements and emission spectroscopy of the H₂O⁺ product ions are reported. It is concluded that at least 60% of H₂O⁺ ions are in the X? state with ≈2.4 eV vibrational energy while up to 40% are in the à state with a mean vibrational energy of 1.4 eV; the à state vibrational distribution has been determined. It is shown that both H₂O⁺ states are populated via an energetically “non-resonant” charge transfer process.     

Synchrotron radiation induced photoionization and photodissociation of carbon monoxide in the 14–35 eV region

Carbon monoxide has been excited with monochromatic synchrotron radiation in the 14–35 eV range using the Swedish synchrotron facility MAX in Lund. The decay products were studied in various detection channels such as formed CO⁺ and C⁺ ions using mass spectroscopy and visible or VUV fluorescence using photon detection. A rich line structure is observed which is attributed to CO Rydberg series converging to theX,A,B,D,C andE states in CO⁺. While a great number of these lines are already known, some of them are classified here for the first time. The combination of information from the fluorescence spectra and the mass spectra contribute important information concerning the autoionization and predissociation of these various Rydberg series.     

Dissociative ionization of O2 and N2 by electron impact — N+ and O+ kinetic energies and angular distributions

An apparatus containing cross molecular and pulsed electron beams has been used to obtain distributions in kinetic energy and angle of fast (? 0.5 eV) positive ions produced through dissociative ionization of N₂ and O₂ by impact of 50 to 2000 eV electrons. Four main O⁺ ion groups are observed with peak energies of 0.8, 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 eV. Two main N⁺ groups peaking at 2.0 and 3.0 eV are seen. Angular distributions of both N⁺ and O⁺ ions are essentially isotropic for electron-beam-ion detection angles from 30° to 110°.     

The Rydberg Nature And Assignments Of Excited States Of The Water Molecule

We report ab initio theoretical calculation on 32 excited states of H₂ O found to lie below 11.7 eV. Of the eight states observed experimentally, the average discrepancy between theoretical and experimental excitation energies is 0.1 eV. We find that the excited states can each be characterized as arising from an excitation to a Rydberg orbital. Our results indicate that the ? and F? states are both 3d-like excited states rather than one 3d state and one 4s state as previously assumed and similarly for the two Rydberg series joining onto ? and F?. The nsa₁ Rydberg series is found to have a quantum defect of 1.38. joining onto the Ã(¹B₁ state. We have assigned the 9.81 eV transition observed by electron impact as the 1b₁ – 3pb₁ excitation to a ³A₁ state.     

Ab initio MRD-CI study of the rydberg states of methylene

Potential curves have been calculated for the low-lying Rydberg states of CH₂ as well as for a number of its valence-shell species by employing the ab initio MRD-CI method. The first Rydberg transition is found to occur with a vertical energy of 6.38 eV (1b₁ → 3s), but the corresponding upper state is believed to be strongly predissociated since it correlates directly with the CH(²II) + H(²S_g) ground state fragments at lower energy. The assignment of the first observed Rydberg transition at 8.757 eV by Herzberg as 1b₁ → 3dπ is confirmed almost quantitatively in the calculations, while the corresponding minimum 1P value is computed to be 10.21 eV compared to the experimental result of 10.3 ± 0.1 eV. The dissociation energy of methylene in its ground state is calculated to be 4.47 eV, and this result also fits in well with experimental evidence, which determines a lower limit for this quantity of D₀ > 4.23 eV. Finally, it is found that none of the Rydberg states nor any of the higher-lying valence-shell species of methylene are of sufficiently low energy to play a significant role in the experimental determination of the ¹A₁-³B₁ splitting of this system.     

Vibrational structure in kinetic energy spectra of O+ ions from electron impact dissociative ionization of O2: Predissociation of the B 2Σg− state of O2+

Structure has been observed in the ≈ 0.8 eV kinetic energy O⁺ ion peak produced by electron impact dissociative ionization of O₂. The spacing between the features observed is approximately 0.08 eV which is consistent with their originating through predissociation of the B ²Σ_g^? state of O⁺.     

Isotope effects for the formation of slow and fast excited hydrogen atoms produced by controlled electron impact on H2 and D2

Analysis of the Balmer-β line taken at high resolution clarifies the isotope effect in the dissociative excitation of H₂. The isotope effect is larger for slow H¹ atoms (σ_D/σ_H = 0.4–0.6) than for fast H¹ atoms and has almost no electron energy dependence (25–100 eV).     

Collision spectroscopy in isomer characterization: The case of (E)- and (Z)-p-nitrophenyldiazo tert-butyl sulphides

The structural characterization of the E and Z isomers of p-nitrophenyl-diazo tert-butyl sulphide has been achieved by means of different ionization methods (electron impact, fast atom bombardment, positive-ion chemical ionization) and collision experiments performed under different kinetic energy regimes (high- and low-energy collisions, angle-resolved mass spectrometry and energy-resolved mass spectrometry). The two compounds give rise to identical fragmentation patterns. Collision experiments, both at low energy and in the keV range at a scattering angle of 0°, in M^+· species obtained by electron impact on the two isomers, do not show any significant differences; the same experiments performed with 8 keV ions at a scattering angle of 2° indicate a clear difference in the absolute abundances of the two main daughter ions. High-energy collisions of MH⁺ ions obtained by fast atom bombardment lead to different spectra at both 0° and 2° scattering angles, proving that the energy deposition in the preselected species is an important parameter. Low-energy collisions with argon of MH⁺ ions generated by positive-ion chemical ionization (NH₄⁺) give rise to almost identical energy-resolved mass spectra, whereas the same experiments using helium as target gas lead to a clear distinction between the two isomers.     

Molecular orbital momentum distributions and binding energies for nitric oxide

Binding energy spectra of the valence electrons of the open shell molecule NO have been obtained up to 55 eV at azimuthal angles of 0° and 7° using binary (e, 2e) spectroscopy at an impact energy of 1200 eV. The momentum distribution has been obtained for the least tightly bound (unpaired) electron, removal of which leads to formation of the X ¹Σ⁺ ground state of NO⁺. Momentum distributions have also been measured at 21.0 and 40.5 eV. The measured momentum distributions are compared with several literature wavefunctions of varying complexity. They are found to be in excellent agreement with those calculated using the natural spin orbital wavefunctions of Kouba and Ohrn.     

Potential curves and molecular properties of Na2+

A model potential method in which a molecule is described as a single electron moving in the field of two polarizable cores is used to calculate the potential energy curves and the wavefunctions of the lowest six electronic states of the molecular ion Na₂⁺. The ground X²Σ_g state has a dissociation energy of 0.98 eV at an equilibrium separation of 3.3 Å and the excited ²Π_u state has a dissociation energy of 0.23 eV at an equilibrium separation of 5.2 Å. Various molecular properties of these two bound states are calculated. An analysis of the long range behaviour of all the six states is presented.     

Vibrational and lifetime line broadenings in ESCA

The line profile of the narrow, symmetric 1s line from neon, recorded with the new ESCA instrument with X-ray monochromatization, is analyzed. The natural linewidth of this line is found to be 0.23 ± 0.02 eV, in good agreement with theoretical calculations of the oscillator strengths for Auger transitions and X-ray emission. Spectra from molecules show frequently asymmetric core electron lines under high resolution. This rules out previous explanations based on a chemical influence on the natural lifetime. Contrary to earlier assumptions, vibrational excitations are shown to be important in core electron spectra. For methane, the vibrational energy spacing is large enough to allow the vibrational lines to be partly resolved. Recent results from accurate PNO CI calculations on methane agree well with the experimental findings. The Franck-Condon transitions in the C1s and N1s lines from CO and N₂ are shown to be well described in the harmonic approximation and approximating the potential curves of the highly excited core hole states with the potential curve for the ground state of NO⁺, X¹ Σ⁺. Knowledge of vibrational excitations in core electron spectra is shown to be valuable in the analysis of high resolution X-ray emission spectra of free molecules.     

The electronic spectrum of hydrogen fluoride (7–46 eV)

The electron energy loss spectrum of HF between 7 and 46 eV has been studied with forward, inelastic scattering of 2.5 keV electrons at resolutions up to 60 meV fwhm. The (1π^?t, 4σ)A ¹Π state of HF has been identified at 10.35 eV (vertical). An apparently prominent progression, observed in optical studies and assigned to the (3σ^?1, 4σ)B ¹Σ⁺ state, was not detected in this work. A reasonably complete assignment of the Rydberg structure of HF is proposed.     

The proton formation from methane by dissociative ionization in the electron energy range of 25–40 eV

The proton formation by dissociative electroionization of methane has been investigated in the energy range of 25–40 eV. The kinetic energy-versus-appearance energy shows five different H⁺ producing processes respectively at 26.3 ± 0.2 eV, 26.9 ± 0.2 eV, 29.4 ± 0.3 eV, 32.7 ± 0.2 eV and 35.7 ± 0.5 eV. These critical energies are discussed in terms of different dissociation channels probably opened through predissociation of doubly excited states of CH⁺₄. On the high energy side of the electron energy range investigated in the present work, the proton would appear through the dissociation of the CH⁺ ion as an intermediate.