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The electronic character of photoexcited molecules can abruptly change at avoided crossings and conical intersections. Here, we report direct mapping of the coupled interplay between electrons and nuclei in a prototype molecule, iodine monobromide (IBr), by using attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. A few-femtosecond visible pulse resonantly excites the B ( Π 3 0 + ) , Y(0 + ), and Z(0 + ) states of IBr, and the photodissociation dynamics are tracked with an attosecond extreme-ultraviolet pulse that simultaneously probes the I-4 d and Br-3 d core-level absorption edges. Direct comparison with quantum mechanical simulations unambiguously identifies the absorption features associated with adiabatic and diabatic channels at the B/Y avoided crossing and concurrent two-photon dissociation processes that involve the Y/Z avoided crossing. The results show clear evidence for rapid switching of valence-electronic character at the avoided crossing.more » « less
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Abstract Conical intersections between electronic states often dictate the chemistry of photoexcited molecules. Recently developed sources of ultrashort extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses tuned to element-specific transitions in molecules allow for the unambiguous detection of electronic state-switching at a conical intersection. Here, the fragmentation of photoexcited
iso- propyl iodide andtert- butyl iodide molecules (i -C3H7I andt -C4H9I) through a conical intersection between3Q0/1Q1spin–orbit states is revealed by ultrafast XUV transient absorption measuring iodine 4d core-to-valence transitions. The electronic state-sensitivity of the technique allows for a complete mapping of molecular dissociation from photoexcitation to photoproducts. In both molecules, the sub-100 fs transfer of a photoexcited wave packet from the3Q0state into the1Q1state at the conical intersection is captured. The results show how differences in the electronic state-switching of the wave packet ini -C3H7I andt -C4H9I directly lead to differences in the photoproduct branching ratio of the two systems. -
The photodissociation dynamics of alkyl iodides along the C–I bond are captured by attosecond extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy employing resonant ∼20 fs UV pump pulses. The methodology of previous experiments on CH3I [Chang et al., J. Chem. Phys. 154, 234301 (2021)] is extended to the investigation of a C–I bond-breaking reaction in the dissociative A-band of C2H5I, i-C3H7I, and t-C4H9I. Probing iodine 4 d core-to-valence transitions in the XUV enables one to map wave packet bifurcation at a conical intersection in the A-band as well as coherent vibrations in the ground state of the parent molecules. Analysis of spectroscopic bifurcation signatures yields conical intersection crossing times of 15 ± 4 fs for CH3I, 14 ± 5 fs for C2H5I, and 24 ± 4 fs for i-C3H7I and t-C4H9I, respectively. Observations of coherent vibrations, resulting from a projection of A-band structural dynamics onto the ground state by resonant impulsive stimulated Raman scattering, indirectly reveal multimode C–I stretch and CCI bend vibrations in the A-bands of C2H5I, i-C3H7I, and t-C4H9I.