Probing electron localization during molecular dissociation by femtosecond strong-field ion momentum spectroscopy

The study of molecular valence electron dynamics and their coupling with nuclear motion is one of the frontiers of ultrafast physics and ultrafast chemistry. With time-resolved strong-field ion momentum spectroscopy, we study electron valence and nucleus wavepacket evolution on a femtosecond timesca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communications physics 2023-05, Vol.6 (1), p.124-7
Main Authors: Zhao, Xinning, Xu, Ting, Yu, Xitao, Ren, Dianxiang, Li, Mingxuan, Zhang, Xinyu, Li, Xiaokai, Ma, Pan, Zhang, Dongdong, Wang, Chuncheng, Wang, Qinxin, Hu, Xiaoqing, Luo, Sizuo, Wu, Yong, Wang, Jianguo, Ding, Dajun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/766/36/1121
639/766/36/1122
Chemical bonds
Chemical reactions
Coupling (molecular)
Dissociation
Electron states
Evolution
Localization
Momentum
Nitrous oxide
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Skewed distributions
Spectroscopic analysis
Time measurement
Wave packets
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Summary:The study of molecular valence electron dynamics and their coupling with nuclear motion is one of the frontiers of ultrafast physics and ultrafast chemistry. With time-resolved strong-field ion momentum spectroscopy, we study electron valence and nucleus wavepacket evolution on a femtosecond timescale. Two orientation-dependent bond-breaks of N 2 O molecules from the same electronic state are studied, and the influence of orbital hybridization and polarization effect during molecular breaking is analyzed based on the measured time-resolved asymmetric Pzsum distributions, allowing a visual representation of electron localization during the dissociation of molecules into ions and atoms. Comparison of experimental and theoretical results on orientation-dependent dissociation dynamics allows us to understand how nuclear motions evolve during fragmentation and to control ultrafast molecular reactions. Ultrafast spectroscopy allows for the real-time observation of molecular processes and enables a better understanding of the electron dynamics and nuclear evolution that occur during a chemical reaction. Here, the authors study, experimentally and theoretically, the electron localization that occurs on a femtosecond timescale during the dissociation of N 2 O.
ISSN:2399-3650
DOI:10.1038/s42005-023-01248-3