Search Results (100 total)

Single-photon core-valence double ionization of molecular oxygen has been studied using a magnetic bottle time-of-flight electron coincidence spectrometer. The K⁻¹V⁻¹ double ionization electron spectrum of O₂ is reported and is assigned with the aid of ab initio calculations. A direct comparison of the core-valence double ionization electron spectra with the conventional valence band photoelectron spectrum is made. The lowest core-valence double ionization energy is found to be 571.6  eV and is associated with a ³Π dicationic state.

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering accompanied by core-hole hopping induced by a strong infrared-laser field is studied for the nitrogen molecule. This process involves a strong laser-field-induced promotion of ungerade core holes created by a weak x-ray pulse to a gerade core level, which opens symmetry-forbidden scattering channels and gives rise to new features in the x-ray scattering spectrum. The core-hole hopping within the short lifetime of the core-excited state required for observation of the described process can be achieved at moderate intensities of the infrared field (∼10¹² W/cm²) because of the large transition dipole moment between the relevant core levels. The dynamics of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering assisted by change of core-hole parity is studied in detail versus the intensity, detuning, phase, and duration of the incident infrared-laser and x-ray pulses.

The dynamic properties of two-photon pumped blue lasing (∼470  nm) in the solution of an organic chromophore [2-acetyl-6-(dimethylamino)naphthalene], excited by ∼160-fs laser pulses at ∼775  nm, have been studied. Both the forward and backward stimulated emission are enhanced by feedback from the reflection at the two optical windows of the solution filled cuvette. Under current experimental conditions, the lasing wavelengths in the forward and backward directions were almost the same, but both blueshifted compared to the fluorescence peak wavelength of the sample solution. The temporal behavior of the lasing output was recorded by a high-speed streak camera system. The multipulse structure and spectral properties of the output lasing are semiquantitatively explained. In addition, excellent optical phase-conjugation properties of the backward stimulated emission were observed; the aberration influences from an aberrator on the backward lasing beam were automatically removed.

We present a dynamic interpretation of resonant x-ray Raman scattering where vibrationally selective excitation into molecular resonances has been employed in comparison with excitation into higher lying continuum states for condensed ethylene and benzene as molecular model systems. In order to describe the purely vibrational spectral loss features and coupled electronic and vibrational losses the one-step theory for resonant soft x-ray scattering is applied, taking multiple vibrational modes and vibronic coupling into account. The scattering profile is found to be strongly excitation energy dependent and to reflect the intermediate states dynamics of the scattering process. In particular, the purely vibrational loss features allow one to map the electronic ground state potential energy surface in light of the excited state dynamics. Our study of ethylene and benzene underlines the necessity of an explicit description of the coupled electronic and vibrational loss features for the assignment of spectral features observed in resonant x-ray Raman scattering at polyatomic systems, which can be done in both a time independent and a time dependent picture. The possibility to probe ground state vibrational properties opens a perspective to future applications of this photon-in-photon-out spectroscopy.

Light transmissions through a subwavelength hole array in a thin metal film are characterized by resonance peaks in the transmission spectrum. In this work we study the surface polaritons (SPs) in perforated thin metal films by analyzing the dynamic behavior of the Poynting vectors based on a full-vector finite-difference time-domain approach. It is shown that each resonance peak in the transmission spectrum is caused by a collective generation of SPs in the form of a dynamic damping oscillator which oscillates in space and time. The energy of the incident light is transported between the upper and the lower metal-air surfaces during the spatial oscillations largely through the air holes. This energy transport mechanism prevails even when the metal-film thickness becomes as thin as 100  nm, under which circumstance the wave functions of the SPs, localized separately on the two metal-air surfaces when the metal film is thick, begin to strongly overlap with each other. The lifetimes of the damping oscillators are different for different resonance peaks in the transmission spectrum and remain distinguishable by the order of their temporal development.

We outline an approach within time-dependent density functional theory that predicts x-ray spectra on an absolute scale. The approach rests on a recent formulation of the resonant-convergent first-order polarization propagator [P. Norman , J. Chem. Phys. 123, 194103 (2005)] and corrects for the self-interaction energy of the core orbital. This polarization propagator approach makes it possible to directly calculate the x-ray absorption cross section at a particular frequency without explicitly addressing the excited-state spectrum. The self-interaction correction for the employed density functional accounts for an energy shift of the spectrum, and fully correlated absolute-scale x-ray spectra are thereby obtained based solely on optimization of the electronic ground state. The procedure is benchmarked against experimental spectra of a set of small organic molecules at the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen K edges.

Electromagnetic (EM) field was found to be able to transmit efficiently through a subwavelength hole array in a metal thin film at specific resonant frequencies. By analyzing the near-field distributions of EM fields in the array system, as well as the corresponding Fourier spectra, we show that the surface-polariton (SP) Bloch waves focus the energy of the incident plane-wave EM field to the vicinity of the hole at resonances (through SP scattering provided by the periodic hole). Furthermore, the wave vectors of the SP waves that contribute to the focusing effect are quantized as functions of the geometric shape of the holes in such a way that the focusing effect of the EM energy into the hole is maximal. The transmission efficiency and bandwidth at resonances are found to partially depend on the number of SP modes which contribute to the focusing effect.

We have studied the spectral features of Cl L_II,III resonant x-ray Raman scattering of HCl molecules in gas phase both experimentally and theoretically. The theory, formulated in the intermediate-coupling scheme, takes into account the spin-orbital and molecular-field splittings in the Cl 2p shells, as well as the Coulomb interaction of the core hole with unoccupied molecular orbitals. Experiment and theory display nondispersive dissociative peaks formed by decay transitions in both molecular and dissociative regions. The molecular and atomic peaks collapse in a single narrow resonance because the dissociative potentials of core-excited and final states are parallel to each other along the whole pathway of the nuclear wave packet.

A polarization propagator for x-ray spectra is outlined and implemented in density functional theory. It rests on a formulation of a resonant-convergent first-order polarization propagator approach which makes it possible to directly calculate the x-ray absorption cross section at a particular frequency without explicitly addressing the excited states. The quality of the predicted x-ray spectrum relates only to the type of density functional applied without any separate treatment of dynamical relaxation effects.

Nonlocal investigations have been performed about exciton-photon couplings in three-dimensional quantum-dot (QD) photonic crystals and a complete photonic band gap has been found in the band structure of a diamond lattice. The width of such a band gap can be broadened by increasing the filling ratio of the QDs (increasing the QD radius or/and decreasing the lattice constant of the photonic crystal). By decomposing the diamond lattice into two interlacing face-centered-cubic (fcc) sublattices, we have found that by significantly modifying the QD radius in one fcc sublattice (the diamond lattice therefore changed to the zinc blende lattice), the band structure of the zinc blende lattice is in principle the sum of two individual fcc sublattices. However, a huge exciton-photon coupling is observed near the band gaps of the two individual fcc sublattices when the radii of the QDs in the two fcc sublattices approach each other, resulting in the complete band gaps of the diamond structure.

A dynamical theory is developed with the purpose of explaining recent experimental results on multiphoton-excited amplified stimulated emission (ASE). Several conspicuous features of this experiment are analyzed, like the threshold dependence of the spectral profile on the pump intensity, and spectral shifts of the ASE pulses co- and counterpropagating relative to the pump pulse. Two models are proposed and evaluated, one based on the isolated molecule and another which involves solvent interaction. The spectral shift between the forward and backward ASE pulses arises in the first model through the competition between the ASE transitions from the pumped vibrational levels and from the bottom of the excited-state well, while in the solvent-related model the dynamical solute-solvent interaction leads to a relaxed excited state, producing an additional ASE channel. In the latter model the additional redshifted ASE channel makes the dynamics of ASE essentially different from that in the molecular model because the formation of the relaxed state takes a longer time. The variation of the pump intensity influences strongly the relative intensities of the different ASE channels and, hence, the spectral shape of ASE in both models. The regime of ASE changes character when the pump intensity crosses a threshold value. Such a phase transition occurs when the ASE rate approaches the rate of vibrational relaxation or the rate of solute-solvent relaxation in the first excited state.

By an extended plane-wave-based transfer-matrix method, the photonic band structure and the corresponding transmission spectrum have been calculated for a two-dimensional photonic crystal composed of negative-phase-velocity-medium (NPVM) cylindrical rods. Dispersionless anticrossing bands in the two-dimensional NPVM periodic structure are generated by the couplings among surface polaritons localized in the NPVM rods. In part of the negative-phase-velocity frequency region, the photonic band structures of the NPVM photonic crystal are characterized by a topographical continuous dispersion relationship accompanied by many anticrossing bands. The effect of the filling fraction of the NPVM rods on the optical properties of photonic crystals has also been studied.

Femtosecond dynamics are observed by resonant x-ray Raman scattering (RXS) after excitation along the dissociative Cl  1s→6σ^* resonance of gas-phase HCl. The short core-hole lifetime results in a complete breakdown of the common nondispersive behavior of soft-x-ray transitions between parallel potentials. We evidence a general phenomenon of RXS in the hard-x-ray region: a complete quenching of vibrational broadening. This opens up a unique opportunity for superhigh resolution x-ray spectroscopy beyond vibrational and lifetime limitations.

We have studied the spectral features of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of condensed ethylene with vibrational selectivity both experimentally and theoretically. Purely vibrational spectral loss features and coupled electronic and vibrational losses are observed. The one-step theory for resonant soft x-ray scattering is applied, taking multiple vibrational modes and vibronic coupling into account. Our investigation of ethylene underlines that the assignment of spectral features observed in resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of polyatomic systems requires an explicit description of the coupled electronic and vibrational loss features.

Two color infrared–x-ray pump-probe spectroscopy of the NO molecule is studied theoretically and numerically in order to obtain a deeper insight of the underlying physics and of the potential of this suggested technology. From the theoretical investigation a number of conclusions could be drawn: It is found that the phase of the infrared field strongly influences the trajectory of the nuclear wave packet, and hence, the x-ray spectrum. The trajectory experiences fast oscillations with the vibrational frequency with a modulation due to the anharmonicity of the potential. The dependences of the x-ray spectra on the delay time, the duration, and the shape of the pulses are studied in detail. It is shown that the x-ray spectrum keep memory about the infrared phase after the pump field left the system. This memory effect is sensitive to the time of switching-off the pump field and the Rabi frequency. The phase effect takes maximum value when the duration of the x-ray pulse is one-fourth of the infrared field period, and can be enhanced by a proper control of the duration and intensity of the pump pulse. The manifestation of the phase is different for oriented and disordered molecules and depends strongly on the intensity of the pump radiation.

In this paper it is demonstrated that electron vibrational absorption of molecules driven by strong IR field provides rich physical interpretations of dynamical processes on a short time scale. The phase of an infrared field influences strongly the trajectory of the nuclear wave packet and the probing spectrum. It is shown that the probe spectrum keeps memory of the infrared phase even after that the pump field left the system. The phase effect takes maximum value when the duration of the probe pulse is of the order of the infrared field period, and can be enhanced by a proper control of the duration and intensity of the pump pulse. The phase effect is different for oriented and disordered molecules and depends strongly on the intensity of pump radiation. It can be an effective tool to study charge transfer processes like proton transfer in hydrogen bonded networks.

We have applied x-ray emission spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) to study the chemical and electronic structures of liquid methanol. The x-ray emission spectra at carbon and oxygen K edges of methanol in different hydrogen-bonded clusters are simulated. It is shown that hydrogen bonding strongly influences the spectral profile of O K emission, but not the C K emission. The methanol chain and ring conformations show a distinct difference in their electronic structures. The molecular orbitals of chains are strongly localized, whereas for the ring structures they show strong delocalization characteristics and behaviorlike covalent π orbitals in a conjugated system. A comparison of experimental spectra and DFT calculations suggests that liquid methanol comprises combinations of rings and chains of methanol molecules linked with hydrogen bonds and is dominated by structures with the size of six and eight molecules.

X-ray pump-probe spectroscopy is studied theoretically. It is shown that two-color—optical+x-ray—excitation with constant phase of the pump radiation exhibits strong interference between the one- and two-photon excitation channels. This effect is found to be large for both long and short pump pulses, while the interference vanishes for x-ray pulses longer than one cycle of the pump field. It is predicted that the spectral shape of x-ray absorption is strongly influenced by the absolute phase of the pump light. A strong sensitivity of the x-ray absorption and/or photoionization profile to the phase and detuning of the pump field is predicted, as well as to the duration of the x-ray pulse. Our simulations display oscillations of x-ray absorption as a function of the delay time. This effect allows the synchronization of the x-ray pulse relative to the “comb” of the pump radiation. The interference pattern copies the temporal and space distribution of the pump field. We pay special attention to the role of molecular orientation for the interference effect.

The outermost, singly ionized valence state of N₂, the X  ²Σ_g⁺ state, is investigated in detail as a function of the photon frequency bandwidth for core excitation to the N  1s→π^* resonance, where the photon frequency is tuned in between the first two vibrational levels of this bound intermediate electronic state. We find a strong, nontrivial dependence of the resulting resonant photoemission spectral profile on the monochromator function width and the frequency of its peak position. For narrow bandwidth excitation we observe a well resolved vibrational fine structure in the final electron spectrum, which for somewhat broader bandwidths gets smeared out into a continuous structure. For even broader monochromator bandwidths, it converts again into a well resolved vibrational progression. In addition, spectral features appearing below the adiabatic transition energy of the ground state of N₂⁺ are observed for broadband excitation. A model taking into account the interplay of the partial scattering cross section with the spectral function is presented and applied to the X  ²Σ_g⁺ final state of N₂⁺.

A combination of x-ray absorption and resonant photoemission (RPE) spectroscopy has been used to study the electronic structure of the one-dimensional conjugated polymer poly(para-phenylenevinylene) in nonordered (as prepared) thin films. The dispersion of RPE features for the decay to localized and delocalized bands are qualitatively different. A theory for band dispersion of RPE in polymers is given, showing the important roles of electronic state localization and vibrational (phonon) excitations for the character of the dispersion.

The duration-time concept, vastly successful for interpreting the frequency dependence of resonant radiative and nonradiative x-ray scattering spectra, is tested for fine-scale features that can be obtained with state of the art high-resolution spectroscopy. For that purpose resonant photoelectron (RPE) spectra of the first three outermost singly ionized valence states X ²Σ_g⁺, A ²Π_u, and B ²Σ_u⁺, are measured for selective excitations to different vibrational levels (up to n=13) of the N 1s→π^* photoabsorption resonance in N₂ and for negative photon frequency detuning relative to the adiabatic 0-0 transition of this resonance. It is found that different parts of the RPE spectrum converge to the spectral profile of direct photoionization (fast scattering) for different detunings, and that the RPE profiles are asymmetrical as a function of frequency detuning. The observed asymmetry contradicts the picture based on the simplified notation of a common scattering duration time, but is shown to agree with the here elaborated concept of partial and mean duration times. Results of the measurements and the simulations show that the duration time of the scattering process varies for different final electronic and different final vibrational states. This owes to two physical reasons: one is the competition between the fast “vertical” and the slow “resonant” scattering channels and the other is the slowing down of the scattering process near the zeros of the real part of the scattering amplitude.

Auger resonances of dissociating atoms in randomly oriented molecules experience large electronic Doppler shifts. We predict that when fixed-in-space molecules are considered there will appear extra Doppler resonances resulting from the diffractional scattering of the Auger electrons by the surrounding atoms. These resonances show sharp maxima in bond directions, something that makes them very promising as probes for local molecular structure using current energy- and angular-resolved electron-ion coincidence experiments.

The O Kα x-ray emission spectra of water clusters with different sizes and conformations embedded in a continuum medium are simulated. The calculations have successfully explained the experimental spectra of water in both gas and liquid phases. It is shown that the x-ray emission spectra are very sensitive to the local hydrogen bonding structures. Strong electron sharing between different water molecules is observed and its possible connection to the covalency of hydrogen bonding is discussed. The experimentally observed strong excitation energy dependence of the spectra has been interpreted in terms of the polarization and angular dependence for the gas phase, and in terms of variations of local hydrogen bonding structures for the liquid phase.

Fragmentation of the SF₆ molecule upon F 1s excitation has been studied by resonant photoemission. The F atomiclike Auger line exhibits the characteristic Doppler profile that depends on the direction of the photoelectron momentum relative to the polarization vector of the radiation as well as on the photon energy. The measured Doppler profiles are analyzed by the model simulation that takes account of the anisotropy of the Auger emission in the molecular frame. The Auger anisotropy extracted from the data decreases with an increase in the F-SF₅ internuclear distance.

We use x-ray emission spectroscopy to elucidate the molecular structure of liquid methanol, water, and methanol-water solutions. We find that molecules in the pure liquid methanol predominantly persist as hydrogen-bonded chains and rings with six and/or eight molecules of equal abundance. For water-methanol solutions we find evidence of incomplete mixing at the microscopic level. Our results provide a new explanation for a smaller entropy increase in the solution due to water molecules bridging methanol chains to form rings.