J van Tilborg et al 2009 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 42 081002 doi:10.1088/0953-4075/42/8/081002
J van Tilborg1, T K Allison1,2, T W Wright1, M P Hertlein1, R W Falcone1,2, Y Liu1, H Merdji3 and A Belkacem1
Show affiliationsDynamics in the excited ethylene cation C2H+4 lead to isomerization to the ethylidene configuration (HC-CH3)+, which is predicted to be a transient configuration for electronic relaxation. With an intense femtosecond extreme ultraviolet pump pulse to populate the excited state, and a near infrared probe pulse to produce the fragments CH+ and CH+3 (which provides a direct signature of ethylidene), we measure optimum fragment yields at a probe delay of 80 fs. Also, an H2-stretch transient configuration, yielding H+2 upon probing, is found to succeed the ethylidene configuration. We find that a simple single- or double-decay model does not match the data, and we present a modified model (introduction of an isomerization delay of 50 ± 25 fs) that does provide agreement.
82.30.Qt Isomerization and rearrangement
82.50.Bc Processes caused by infrared radiation
82.30.Lp Decomposition reactions (pyrolysis, dissociation, and fragmentation)
Issue 8 (28 April 2009)
Received 10 March 2009
Published 6 April 2009
J van Tilborg et al 2009 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 42 081002
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