New paper in Scientific Reports on complete molecular movies published

Working closely with theoreticians and colleagues from Canada, our new paper has appeared in Scientific Reports. We present a route towards simultaneous imaging of electronic and nuclear dynamics during molecular dissociation.

When a molecule is photoexcited or ionized, both electrons and nuclei may rearrange. In our new paper, we present a scheme that allows us to track nuclear motion while probing electronic structure changes using photoelectron momentum imaging. Experiments are carried out for H$_2$ and N$_2$O. For H$_2$, we perform extensive theoretical modelling using two different models based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Based on the results, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of our experimental approach. In the case of N$_2$O, we observe an interesting asymmetry in the photoelectron data, which is sensitive to the localization of the hole during the dissociation process. This may have implications for the well-known phenomenon of enhanced ionization. The experimental approach is transferable to a wide range of molecular systems.

Read our new paper “Towards simultaneous imaging of ultrafast nuclear and electronic dynamics in small molecules”!