Influence of nuclear dynamics on molecular attosecond photoelectron interferometry

Article

Influence of nuclear dynamics on molecular attosecond photoelectron interferometry

Makos, I.; Schmoll, M.; Benda, J.; Ahmadi, H.; Moioli, M.; Frassetto, F.; Poletto, L.; Schroeter, C. D.; Pfeifer, T.; Moshammer, R.; Mašín, Z.; Patchovskii, S.; Sansone, G.

Sci. Adv. 9(35), 10 (2023)

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Abstract

In extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy, the photoionization process occurring in a molecule due to the absorption of a single photon can trigger an ultrafast nuclear motion in the cation. Taking advantage of attosecond photoelectron interferometry, where the absorption of the extreme ultraviolet photon is accompanied by the exchange of an additional infrared quantum of light, one can investigate the influence of nuclear dynamics by monitoring the characteristics of the photoelectron spectra generated by the two-color field. Here, we show that attosecond photoelectron interferometry is sensitive to the nuclear response by measuring the two-color photoionization spectra in a mixture of methane (CH4) and deuteromethane (CD4). The effect of the different nuclear evolution in the two isotopologues manifests itself in the modification of the amplitude and contrast of the oscillations of the photoelectron peaks. Our work indicates that nuclear dynamics can affect the coherence properties of the electronic wave packet emitted by photoionization on a time scale as short as a few femtoseconds.

Institute authors

Supported by

GACR 20-15548Y — New mechanisms of damage of DNA driven by electrons and ultraviolet light
Primus/20/SCI/003 — New mechanisms of damage of DNA driven by electrons and ultraviolet light

BibTeX

@article{UTF905,
  author        = {Makos, I. and Schmoll, M. and Benda, J. and Ahmadi, H. and Moioli, M. and Frassetto, F. and Poletto, L. and Schroeter, C. D. and Pfeifer, T. and Moshammer, R. and Mašín, Z. and Patchovskii, S. and Sansone, G.},
  title         = {{Influence of nuclear dynamics on molecular attosecond photoelectron interferometry}},
  journal       = {Sci. Adv.},
  volume        = {9},
  number        = {35},
  pages         = {10},
  year          = {2023},
  month         = {8},
  doi           = {10.1126/sciadv.adh7747},
}