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Ultrafast time-resolved photoelectron spectra are reported for the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization of acetylene following excitation to the Ã1Au state via UV absorption at 200 nm. The excitation energy lies above the lowest dissociation threshold to C2H X̃2Σ+ + H, as well as above the threshold for adiabatic dissociation of the Ã1Au state to form C2H (Ã2Π) + H. The time-dependent mass spectra and photoelectron spectra provide insight into the intramolecular decay processes of the Ã1Au state. In addition, photoelectron spectra of the Ã1Au state with VUV light access both the X̃2Πu and Ã2Σg+ states of the ion, as well as the predicted, but previously unobserved, 1 2Πg state, which corresponds to a two-hole, one-particle configuration that lies in close proximity to the Ã2Σg+ state. The 1 2Πg state is split into 2A2 + 2B2 and 2Ag + 2Bg states in the cis and trans configurations, respectively. Electronic structure calculations, along with trajectory calculations, reproduce the principal features of the experimental data and confirm the assignment of the 1 2Πg state., (© 2025 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Roaming reactions involving a neutral fragment of a molecule that transiently wanders around another fragment before forming a new bond are intriguing and peculiar pathways for molecular rearrangement. Such reactions can occur for example upon double ionization of small organic molecules, and have recently sparked much scientific interest. We have studied the dynamics of the [Formula: see text]-roaming reaction leading to the formation of [Formula: see text] after two-photon double ionization of ethanol and 2-aminoethanol, using an XUV-UV pump-probe scheme. For ethanol, we find dynamics similar to previous studies employing different pump-probe schemes, indicating the independence of the observed dynamics from the method of ionization and the photon energy of the disruptive probe pulse. Surprisingly, we do not observe a kinetic isotope effect in ethanol-[Formula: see text], in contrast to previous experiments on methanol where such an effect was observed. This distinction indicates fundamental differences in the energetics of the reaction pathways as compared to the methanol molecule. The larger number of possible roaming pathways compared to methanol complicates the analysis considerably. In contrast to previous studies, we additionally analyze a broad range of dissociative ionization products, which feature distinct dynamics from that of [Formula: see text] and allow initial insight into the action of the disruptive UV-probe pulse., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)