High-Resolution Threshold Photoelectron Spectroscopy by Vacuum Ultraviolet Laser Velocity-Map-Imaging Method

We have obtained the high-resolution threshold photoelectron (TPE) spectra of chlorobenzene C₆H₅Cl (X¹A₁), propargyl radical C₃H₃ (X²B₁), and allyl radical C₃H₅ (X²A₁) by employing the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser velocity-map-imaging-TPE (VUV-VMI-TPE) method. The photoelectron energy resolution of 1-2 cm^-1 observed for the VUV-VMI-TPE method is comparable to that achieved in VUV laser pulsed-field ionization-photoelectron (VUV-PFI-PE) measurements. Similar to VUV-PFI-PE measurements, the energy resolutions for VUV-VMI-photoelectron (VUV-VMI-PE) and VUV-VMI-TPE measurements are found to depend on the dc electric field F in V/cm used at the photoionization region for electron extraction. The decrease of the ionization thresholds of C₆H₅Cl and C₃H₃ observed as a function of F shows that the Stark shift correction for VUV-VMI-TPE measurements is governed by the formula -3.1√F in cm^-1, which is half of the classical prediction of -6.1√F in cm^-1.} We have also measured the VUV-VMI-PE spectra of C₆H₅Cl and C₃H₅ at VUV energies near their ionization thresholds. The cationic vibrational bands observed in the VUV-VMI-PE measurements were assigned to be the vibrational progression, nv₇⁺ (n=0-3), for C₃H₅⁺. The higher experimental sensitivity and similar energy resolutions achieved in VUV-VMI-TPE compared to VUV-PFI-PE measurements make the VUV-VMI-TPE method an excellent alternative for high-resolution VUV-PFI-PE measurements.