Diffractive imaging of dissociation and ground-state dynamics in a complex molecule
- Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford PULSE Institute, Menlo Park CA (United States); Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford PULSE Institute, Menlo Park CA (United States)
- Stanford PULSE Institute, Menlo Park CA (United States)
- Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Univ. of York (United Kingdom). Dept. of Chemistry
- Stanford PULSE Institute, Menlo Park CA (United States); Univ. Potsdam, Potsdam (Germany). Inst. für Physik und Astronomie
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
We have investigated the structural dynamics in photoexcited 1,2-diiodotetrafluoroethane molecules $$(C_2F_4I_2)$$ in the gas phase experimentally using ultrafast electron diffraction and theoretically using FOMO-CASCI excited-state dynamics simulations. The molecules are excited by an ultraviolet femtosecond laser pulse to a state characterized by a transition from the iodine $5p⊥$ orbital to a mixed $5p ∥ σ$ hole and $$CF^∙_2$$ antibonding orbital, which results in the cleavage of one of the carbon-iodine bonds. We have observed, with sub-Angstrom resolution, the motion of the nuclear wave packet of the dissociating iodine atom followed by coherent vibrations in the electronic ground state of the $$C_2F_4I_2$$ radical. The radical reaches a stable classical (nonbridged) structure in less than 200 fs.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division; Volkswagen Foundation
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05-CH11231; AC02-76SF00515; SC0014170; AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1560631
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1546834; OSTI ID: 1671786
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review A, Vol. 100, Issue 2; ISSN 2469-9926
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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