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Double and triple ionization of allene are investigated using electron–electron, ion–ion, electron–electron–ion and electron–electron–ion–ion (ee, ii, eei, eeii) coincidence spectroscopies at selected photon energies. The results provide supporting evidence for a previously proposed roaming mechanism in H3+ formation by double ionization. The lowest vertical double ionization energy is found to be 27.9 eV, while adiabatic double ionization is not accessed by vertical ionization at the neutral geometry. The triple ionization energy is found to be close to 50 eV in agreement with theoretical predictions. The doubly charged parent ion is stable up to about 2 eV above the threshold, after which dissociations by charge separation and by double charge retention occur with comparable intensities. Fragmentation to H+ + C3H3+ starts immediately above the threshold as a slow (metastable) decay with 130.5 ± 9.9 ns mean lifetime.

Molecular oxygen, O 2 , is vital to life on Earth and possibly also on exoplanets. Although the biogenic processes leading to its accumulation in Earth’s atmosphere are well understood, its abiotic origin is still not fully established. Here, we report combined experimental and theoretical evidence for electronic state–selective production of O 2 from SO 2 , a chemical constituent of many planetary atmospheres and one that played an important part on Earth in the Great Oxidation Event. The O 2 production involves dissociative double ionization of SO 2 leading to efficient formation of the O 2 + ion, which can be converted to abiotic O 2 by electron neutralization or by charge exchange. This formation process may contribute substantially to the abundance of O 2 and related ions in planetary atmospheres, such as the Jovian moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede. We suggest that this sort of ionic pathway for the formation of abiotic O 2 involving multiply charged molecular ion decomposition may also exist for other atmospheric and planetary molecules.

Photoinduced isomerization reactions lie at the heart of many chemical processes in nature. The mechanisms of such reactions are determined by a delicate interplay of coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics occurring on the femtosecond scale, followed by the slower redistribution of energy into different vibrational degrees of freedom. Here we apply time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with a seeded extreme ultraviolet free-electron laser to trace the ultrafast ring opening of gas-phase thiophenone molecules following ultraviolet photoexcitation. When combined with ab initio electronic structure and molecular dynamics calculations of the excited- and ground-state molecules, the results provide insights into both the electronic and nuclear dynamics of this fundamental class of reactions. The initial ring opening and non-adiabatic coupling to the electronic ground state are shown to be driven by ballistic S–C bond extension and to be complete within 350 fs. Theory and experiment also enable visualization of the rich ground-state dynamics that involve the formation of, and interconversion between, ring-opened isomers and the cyclic structure, as well as fragmentation over much longer timescales.

Abstract Quantum coherence plays a fundamental role in the study and control of ultrafast dynamics in matter. In the case of photoionization, entanglement of the photoelectron with the ion is a well-known source of decoherence when only one of the particles is measured. Here, we investigate decoherence due to entanglement of the radial and angular degrees of freedom of the photoelectron. We study two-photon ionization via the 2s2p autoionizing state in He using high spectral resolution photoelectron interferometry. Combining experiment and theory, we show that the strong dipole coupling of the 2s2p and 2p$$^2$$ 2 states results in the entanglement of the angular and radial degrees of freedom. This translates, in angle-integrated measurements, into a dynamic loss of coherence during autoionization. Graphic Abstract

Rabi oscillations are periodic modulations of populations in two-level systems interacting with a time-varying field1. They are ubiquitous in physics with applications in different areas such as photonics2, nano-electronics3, electron microscopy4 and quantum information5. While the theory developed by Rabi was intended for fermions in gyrating magnetic fields, Autler and Townes realized that it could also be used to describe coherent light–matter interactions within the rotating-wave approximation6. Although intense nanometre-wavelength light sources have been available for more than a decade7–9, Rabi dynamics at such short wavelengths has not been directly observed. Here we show that femtosecond extreme-ultraviolet pulses from a seeded free-electron laser10 can drive Rabi dynamics between the ground state and an excited state in helium atoms. The measured photoelectron signal reveals an Autler–Townes doublet and an avoided crossing, phenomena that are both fundamental to coherent atom–field interactions11. Using an analytical model derived from perturbation theory on top of the Rabi model, we find that the ultrafast build-up of the doublet structure carries the signature of a quantum interference effect between resonant and non-resonant photoionization pathways. Given the recent availability of intense attosecond12 and few-femtosecond13 extreme-ultraviolet pulses, our results unfold opportunities to carry out ultrafast manipulation of coherent processes at short wavelengths using free-electron lasers.

Clusters and nanodroplets hold the promise of enhancing high-order nonlinear optical effects due to their high local density. However, only moderate enhancement has been demonstrated to date. Here, we report the observation of energetic electrons generated by above-threshold ionization (ATI) of helium (He) nanodroplets which are resonantly excited by ultrashort extreme ultraviolet (XUV) free-electron laser pulses and subsequently ionized by near-infrared (NIR) or near-ultraviolet (UV) pulses. The electron emission due to high-order ATI is enhanced by several orders of magnitude compared with He atoms. The crucial dependence of the ATI intensities with the number of excitations in the droplets suggests a local collective enhancement effect.

The relaxation dynamics of superexcited superfluid He nanodroplets is thoroughly investigated by means of extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) femtosecond electron and ion spectroscopy complemented by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Three main paths leading to the emission of electrons and ions are identified: droplet autoionization, pump-probe photoionization, and autoionization induced by re-excitation of droplets relaxing into levels below the droplet ionization threshold. The most abundant product ions are He-2(+), generated by droplet autoionization and by photoionization of droplet-bound excited He atoms. He+ appear with some pump-probe delay as a result of the ejection He atoms in their lowest excited states from the droplets. The state-resolved time-dependent photoelectron spectra reveal that intermediate excited states of the droplets are populated in the course of the relaxation, terminating in the lowest-lying metastable singlet and triplet He atomic states. The slightly faster relaxation of the triplet state compared to the singlet state is in agreement with the simulation showing faster formation of a bubble around a He atom in the triplet state.

We present the first investigation of excited state dynamics by resonant Auger-Meitner spectroscopy (also known as resonant Auger spectroscopy) using the nucleobase thymine as an example. Thymine is photoexcited in the UV and probed with X-ray photon energies at and below the oxygen K-edge. After initial photoexcitation to a {\pi}{\pi}* excited state, thymine is known to undergo internal conversion to an n{\pi}* excited state with a strong resonance at the oxygen K-edge, red-shifted from the ground state {\pi}* resonances of thymine (see our previous study Wolf et al., Nat. Commun., 2017, 8, 29). We resolve and compare the Auger-Meitner electron spectra associated both with the excited state and ground state resonances, and distinguish participator and spectator decay contributions. Furthermore, we observe simultaneously with the decay of the n{\pi}* state signatures the appearance of additional resonant Auger-Meitner contributions at photon energies between the n{\pi}* state and the ground state resonances. We assign these contributions to population transfer from the n{\pi}* state to a {\pi}{\pi}* triplet state via intersystem crossing on the picosecond timescale based on simulations of the X-ray absorption spectra in the vibrationally hot triplet state. Moreover, we identify signatures from the initially excited {\pi}{\pi}* singlet state which we have not observed in our previous study.

The possibility of suddenly ionized molecules undergoing extremely fast electron hole (or hole) dynamics prior to significant structural change was first recognized more than 20 years ago and termed charge migration. The accurate probing of ultrafast electron hole dynamics requires measurements that have both sufficient temporal resolution and can detect the localization of a specific hole within the molecule. We report an investigation of the dynamics of inner valence hole states in isopropanol where we use an x-ray pump-x-ray probe experiment, with site and state-specific probing of a transient hole state localized near the oxygen atom in the molecule, together with an ab initio theoretical treatment. We record the signature of transient hole dynamics and make the first tentative observation of dynamics driven by frustrated Auger-Meitner transitions. We verify that the effective hole lifetime is consistent with our theoretical prediction. This state-specific measurement paves the way to widespread application for observations of transient hole dynamics localized in space and time in molecules and thus to charge transfer phenomena that are fundamental in chemical and material physics. (Less)

Double and triple ionisation spectra of the reactive molecule isocyanic acid (HNCO) have been measured using multi-electron and ion coincidence techniques combined with synchrotron radiation and compared with high-level theoretical calculations. Vertical double ionisation at an energy of 32.8 ± 0.3 eV forms the3A” ground state in which the HNCO2+ion is long lived. The vertical triple ionisation energy is determined as 65 ± 1 eV. The core-valence double ionisation spectra resemble the valence photoelectron spectrum in form, and their main features can be understood on the basis of a simple and rather widely applicable Coulomb model based on the characteristics of the molecular orbitals from which electrons are removed. Characteristics of the most important dissociation channels are examined and discussed.

The photoionization of xenon atoms in the 70–100 eV range reveals several fascinating physical phenomena such as a giant resonance induced by the dynamic rearrangement of the electron cloud after photon absorption, an anomalous branching ratio between intermediate Xe+ states separated by the spin-orbit interaction and multiple Auger decay processes. These phenomena have been studied in the past, using in particular synchrotron radiation, but without access to real-time dynamics. Here, we study the dynamics of Xe 4d photoionization on its natural time scale combining attosecond interferometry and coincidence spectroscopy. A time-frequency analysis of the involved transitions allows us to identify two interfering ionization mechanisms: the broad giant dipole resonance with a fast decay time less than 50 as, and a narrow resonance at threshold induced by spin-flip transitions, with much longer decay times of several hundred as. Our results provide insight into the complex electron-spin dynamics of photo-induced phenomena., Here the authors report experiment and theory study of the photoionization of xenon inner shell 4d electron using attosecond pulses. They have identified two ionization paths - one corresponding to broad giant dipole resonance with short decay time and the other involving spin-flip transitions.

Shape resonances in physics and chemistry arise from the spatial confinement of a particle by a potential barrier. In molecular photoionization, these barriers prevent the electron from escaping instantaneously, so that nuclei may move and modify the potential, thereby affecting the ionization process. By using an attosecond two-color interferometric approach in combination with high spectral resolution, we have captured the changes induced by the nuclear motion on the centrifugal barrier that sustains the well-known shape resonance in valence-ionized N$_2$. We show that despite the nuclear motion altering the bond length by only $2\%$, which leads to tiny changes in the potential barrier, the corresponding change in the ionization time can be as large as $200$ attoseconds. This result poses limits to the concept of instantaneous electronic transitions in molecules, which is at the basis of the Franck-Condon principle of molecular spectroscopy., 24 pages, 5 figures

Systematic measurements on single and triple Auger decay in CO and CO2 after the creation of a C 1s or a O 1s core vacancy show that the percentage of triple Auger decay is on the order of 10−2 of the single Auger decay in these molecules. The fractions of triple Auger decay are compared with triple Auger fractions for carbon atoms and some noble gas atoms, and are found to follow a linear trend correlated to the number of valence electrons on the atom with the initial core vacancy and on its closest neighbours. This linear trend for the percentage of triple Auger decay is represented by a predictive equation TA = 0.13·Nve − 0.5.

Valence double ionization electron spectra of the methyl fluoride, methyl chloride, and methyl iodide molecules have been recorded using a time-of-flight photoelectron-photoelectron coincidence technique. The spectra are interpreted by comparison with existing ionization data, Auger spectra, and theoretical calculations. The lowest double ionization energies have been found to be around 35.0 eV, 30.6 eV, and 26.67 eV for CH 3 F, CH 3 Cl and CH 3 I, respectively. These energies are also compared with the predictions and implications of an empirical rule for the lowest double ionization energy in molecules.

L-shell ionisation and subsequent Coulomb explosion of fully deuterated methyl iodide, CD$_3$I, irradiated with hard x-rays has been examined by a time-of-flight multi-ion coincidence technique. The core vacancies relax efficiently by Auger cascades, leading to charge states up to 16+. The dynamics of the Coulomb explosion process are investigated by calculating the ions' flight times numerically based on a geometric model of the experimental apparatus, for comparison with the experimental data. A parametric model of the explosion, previously introduced for multi-photon induced Coulomb explosion, is applied in numerical simulations, giving good agreement with the experimental results for medium charge states. Deviations for higher charges suggest the need to include nuclear motion in a putatively more complete model. Detection efficiency corrections from the simulations are used to determine the true distributions of molecular charge state produced by initial L1, L2 and L3 ionisation., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

The recent development of ultrafast extreme ultraviolet (XUV) coherent light sources bears great potential for a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of matter. Promising routes are advanced coherent control and nonlinear spectroscopy schemes in the XUV energy range, yielding unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. However, their implementation has been hampered by the experimental challenge of generating XUV pulse sequences with precisely controlled timing and phase properties. In particular, direct control and manipulation of the phase of individual pulses within an XUV pulse sequence opens exciting possibilities for coherent control and multidimensional spectroscopy, but has not been accomplished. Here, we overcome these constraints in a highly time-stabilized and phase-modulated XUV-pump, XUV-probe experiment, which directly probes the evolution and dephasing of an inner subshell electronic coherence. This approach, avoiding any XUV optics for direct pulse manipulation, opens up extensive applications of advanced nonlinear optics and spectroscopy at XUV wavelengths., Light pulses with controllable parameters are desired for studying the fundamental properties of matter. Here the authors generate and use phase-manipulated and highly time-stable XUV pulse pairs to probe the coherent evolution and dephasing of XUV electronic coherences in helium and argon.

We demonstrate a novel timing tool for Free-Electron Lasers to determine the delay between an attosecond pulse train and infrared pulse with sub-optical-cycle resolu-. tion.

International audience; We apply a spectrally-resolved electron interferometry technique to the measurement of the spectral phase in the vicinity of the 3s13p64p Fano resonance of argon. We show that it allows disentangling the phases of the two nearly-overlapping electron wavepackets corresponding to different spin–orbit final states. Using simple assumptions, it is possible to process the experimental data and numerically isolate each component in a self-consistent manner. This in turn allows reconstructing the autoionization dynamics of the dominant channel.

Attosecond pulses are fundamental for the investigation of valence and core-electron dynamics on their natural timescale. At present the reproducible generation and characterisation of attosecond waveforms has been demonstrated only through the process of high-order harmonic generation. Several methods for the shaping of attosecond waveforms have been proposed, including metallic filters, multilayer mirrors and manipulation of the driving field. However, none of these approaches allow for the flexible manipulation of the temporal characteristics of the attosecond waveforms, and they suffer from the low conversion efficiency of the high-order harmonic generation process. Free Electron Lasers, on the contrary, deliver femtosecond, extreme ultraviolet and X-ray pulses with energies ranging from tens of $\mathrm{\mu}$J to a few mJ. Recent experiments have shown that they can generate sub-fs spikes, but with temporal characteristics that change shot-to-shot. Here we show the first demonstration of reproducible generation of high energy ($\mathrm{\mu}$J level) attosecond waveforms using a seeded Free Electron Laser. We demonstrate amplitude and phase manipulation of the harmonic components of an attosecond pulse train in combination with a novel approach for its temporal reconstruction. The results presented here open the way to perform attosecond time-resolved experiments with Free Electron Lasers.

X-ray free-electron lasers have, over the past decade, opened up the possibility of understanding the ultrafast response of matter to intense X-ray pulses. In earlier research on atoms and small molecules, new aspects of this response were uncovered, such as rapid sequences of inner-shell photoionization and Auger ionization. Here, we studied a larger molecule, buckminsterfullerene (C60), exposed to 640 eV X-rays, and examined the role of chemical effects, such as chemical bonds and charge transfer, on the fragmentation following multiple ionization of the molecule. To provide time resolution, we performed femtosecond-resolved X-ray pump/X-ray probe measurements, which were accompanied by advanced simulations. The simulations and experiment reveal that despite substantial ionization induced by the ultrashort (20 fs) X-ray pump pulse, the fragmentation of C60 is considerably delayed. This work uncovers the persistence of the molecular structure of C60, which hinders fragmentation over a timescale of hundreds of femtoseconds. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a substantial fraction of the ejected fragments are neutral carbon atoms. These findings provide insights into X-ray free-electron laser-induced radiation damage in large molecules, including biomolecules. X-ray pump–probe experiments reveal that the molecular structure of C60 molecules substantially delays their fragmentation following photoionization. This may help to understand X-ray laser-induced radiation damage on molecules.

The generation of attosecond pulse trains at free-electron lasers opens new opportunities in ultrafast science, as it gives access, for the first time, to reproducible, programmable, extreme ultraviolet (XUV) waveforms with high intensity. In this work, we present a detailed analysis of the theoretical model underlying the temporal characterization of the attosecond pulse trains recently generated at the free-electron laser FERMI. In particular, the validity of the approximations used for the correlated analysis of the photoelectron spectra generated in the two-color photoionization experiments are thoroughly discussed. The ranges of validity of the assumptions, in connection with the main experimental parameters, are derived.

We present experimental results on the characteristic sharing of available excess energy, ranging from 11–221 eV, between two electrons in single-photon direct double ionization of He. An effective parametrization of the sharing distributions is presented along with an empirical model that describes the complete shape of the distribution based on a single experimentally determinable parameter. The measured total energy sharing distributions are separated into two distributions representing the shake-off and knock-out parts by simulating the sharing distribution curves expected from a pure wave collapse after a sudden removal of the primary electron. In this way, empirical knock-out distributions are extracted and both the shake-off and knock-out distributions are parametrized. These results suggest a simple method that can be applied to other atomic and molecular systems to experimentally study important aspects of the direct double ionization process.

Single-photon multiple ionization processes of acetaldehyde (ethanal) have been experimentally investigated by utilizing a multi-particle coincidence technique based on the time-of-flight magnetic bottle principle, in combination with either a synchrotron radiation source or a pulsed helium discharge lamp. The processes investigated include double and triple ionization in the valence region as well as single and double Auger decay of core-ionized acetaldehyde. The latter are studied site-selectively for chemically different carbon core vacancies, scrutinizing early theoretical predictions specifically made for the case of acetaldehyde. Moreover, Auger processes in shake-up and core-valence ionized states are investigated. In the cases where the processes involve simultaneous emission of two electrons, the distributions of the energy sharing are presented, emphasizing either the knock-out or shake-off mechanism.

International audience; Autoionization, which results from the interference between direct photoionization and photoexcitation to a discrete state decaying to the continuum by configuration interaction, is a well known example of the important role of electron correlation in light–matter interaction. Information on this process can be obtained by studying the spectral, or equivalently, temporal complex amplitude of the ionized electron wave packet. Using an energy-resolved interferometric technique, we measure the spectral amplitude and phase of autoionized wave packets emitted via the sp2+ and sp3+ resonances in helium. These measurements allow us to reconstruct the corresponding temporal profiles by Fourier transform. In addition, applying various time–frequency representations, we observe the build-up of the wave packets in the continuum, monitor the instantaneous frequencies emitted at any time and disentangle the dynamics of the direct and resonant ionization channels.

Photoionization time delays are measured with two-color (XUV+IR) interferometric techniques. The combination of attosecond temporal resolution and high spectral resolution from narrowband harmonics allows the study of ultrafast dynamics in both time and frequency domain.

Ultrafast processes in matter, such as the electron emission following light absorption, can now be studied using ultrashort light pulses of attosecond duration ($10^{-18}$s) in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range. The lack of spectral resolution due to the use of short light pulses may raise serious issues in the interpretation of the experimental results and the comparison with detailed theoretical calculations. Here, we determine photoionization time delays in neon atoms over a 40 eV energy range with an interferometric technique combining high temporal and spectral resolution. We spectrally disentangle direct ionization from ionization with shake up, where a second electron is left in an excited state, thus obtaining excellent agreement with theoretical calculations and thereby solving a puzzle raised by seven-year-old measurements. Our experimental approach does not have conceptual limits, allowing us to foresee, with the help of upcoming laser technology, ultra-high resolution time-frequency studies from the visible to the x-ray range., 5 pages, 4 figures

We present time-resolved ultraviolet-pump x-ray probe Auger spectra of 2-thiouracil. An ultraviolet induced shift towards higher kinetic energies is observed in the sulfur 2p Auger decay. The difference Auger spectra of pumped and unpumped molecules exhibit ultrafast dynamics in the shift amplitude, in which three phases can be recognized. In the first 100 fs, a shift towards higher kinetic energies is observed, followed by a 400 fs shift back to lower kinetic energies and a 1 ps shift again to higher kinetic energies. We use a simple Coulomb-model, aided by quantum chemical calculations of potential energy states, to deduce a C–S bond expansion within the first 100 fs. The bond elongation triggers internal conversion from the photoexcited S2 to the S1 state. Based on timescales, the subsequent dynamics can be interpreted in terms of S1 nuclear relaxation and S1-triplet internal conversion.

Formation of triply ionized states upon the creation of 4d inner-shell holes in atomic Hg is investigated by using synchrotron radiation of 730 eV photon energy and a versatile multielectron coincidence detection technique in combination with multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations. By carefully selecting Coster-Kronig electrons detected only in coincidence with a 4d photoelectron, the Coster-Kronig spectrum has been extracted and the corresponding branching ratios of the 4d hole have been determined. The results are found to differ from previously established experimental ratios based on electron impact ionization but to agree now better with theory. We also present an Auger cascade analysis of pathways leading to triply ionized states of atomic Hg upon removal of a 4d inner-shell electron.

Many photoinduced processes including photosynthesis and human vision happen in organic molecules and involve coupled femtosecond dynamics of nuclei and electrons. Organic molecules with heteroatoms often possess an important excited-state relaxation channel from an optically allowed ππ* to a dark nπ* state. The ππ*/nπ* internal conversion is difficult to investigate, as most spectroscopic methods are not exclusively sensitive to changes in the excited-state electronic structure. Here, we report achieving the required sensitivity by exploiting the element and site specificity of near-edge soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy. As a hole forms in the n orbital during ππ*/nπ* internal conversion, the absorption spectrum at the heteroatom K-edge exhibits an additional resonance. We demonstrate the concept using the nucleobase thymine at the oxygen K-edge, and unambiguously show that ππ*/nπ* internal conversion takes place within (60 ± 30) fs. High-level-coupled cluster calculations confirm the method’s impressive electronic structure sensitivity for excited-state investigations., Many photo-induced processes such as photosynthesis occur in organic molecules, but their femtosecond excited-state dynamics are difficult to track. Here, the authors exploit the element and site selectivity of soft X-ray absorption to sensitively follow the ultrafast ππ*/nπ* electronic relaxation of hetero-organic molecules.

We show that the proportion of double Auger decay following creation of single 1s core holes in molecules containing C, N and O atoms is greater than usually assumed, amounting to about 10% of single Auger decay in many cases. It varies from molecule to molecule, where the size of the molecule has a positive correlation to the amount of double Auger decay. In neon, examined as a related benchmark, the proportion of double Auger decay is similar to that in methane, and is in the order of 5%.

Energy selected and mass-resolved electron-ion coincidence spectra of heavy water have been recorded for ionization energies from 18 to 35 eV. Dissociation from the B2B2 state produces both O+ and D2+ at energies near their thermodynamic thresholds in addition to the known products D+ and OD+. The relative yields of O+, OD+, and D+ in the B2B2 state breakdown diagram are modulated by the vibrational structure of the B-state population, implying incomplete energy equilibration before fragmentation. Decay from the C-state produces OD+ in addition to the known O+ and D+. The fragment kinetic energies suggest that O+ and D+ from the C state are the products of full atomization of the molecule.

Stimulated electronic x-ray Raman scattering is the building block for several proposed x-ray pump probe techniques, that would allow the study of electron dynamics at unprecedented timescales. We present high spectral resolution data on stimulated electronic x-ray Raman scattering in a gas sample of neon using a self-amplified spontaneous emission x-ray free-electron laser. Despite the limited spectral coherence and broad bandwidth of these sources, high-resolution spectra can be obtained by statistical methods, opening the path to coherent stimulated x-ray Raman spectroscopy. An extension of these ideas to molecules and the results of a recent experiment in CO are discussed.

Experimental Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine-Structure (NEXAFS) spectra of N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (FNMA), which is a peptide model system, measured at the C, N, O and F K-edges are reported. The features in the spectra have been assigned by Static-Exchange (STEX) calculations. Using the same method, we have also assigned previously measured NEXAFS spectra of another peptide model system, N-methylacetamide (NMA). To facilitate the NEXAFS feature assignments, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements for NMA and FNMA have been carried out with the aim of obtaining the 1s electron ionization potentials, which are compared with the values predicted by our Hartree-Fock (Delta HF) and Multi Configuration Self Consistent Field (Delta MCSCF) calculations. We also demonstrate an approach to compensate for screening effects that are neglected in the STEX method. Ion yield measurements of FNMA associated with the excitation of several C, N, O, and F K-shell pre-edge resonances have revealed site-specific fragmentation in some cases which we interpret with the aid of our theoretical calculations. QC 20160303

Site-specific fragmentation upon 1s photoionisation of acetaldehyde has been studied using synchrotron radiation and a multi-electron-ion coincidence technique based on a magnetic bottle. Experimental evidence is presented that bond rupture occurs with highest probability in the vicinity of the initial charge localisation and possible mechanisms are discussed. We find that a significant contribution to site-specific photochemistry is made by different fragmentation patterns of individual quantum states populated at identical ionisation energies.

Three-electron Auger decay is an exotic and elusive process, in which two outer-shell electrons simultaneously refill an inner-shell double vacancy with emission of a single Auger electron. Such transitions are forbidden by the many-electron selection rules, normally making their decay lifetimes orders of magnitude longer than the few-femtosecond lifetimes of normal (two-electron) Auger decay. Here we present theoretical predictions and direct experimental evidence for a few-femtosecond three-electron Auger decay of a double inner-valence-hole state in CH_{3}F. Our analysis shows that in contrast to double core holes, double inner-valence vacancies in molecules can decay exclusively by this ultrafast three-electron Auger process, and we predict that this phenomenon occurs widely.

Core-valence double ionisation spectra of acetaldehyde (ethanal) are presented at photon energies above the carbon and oxygen 1s ionisation edges, measured by a versatile multi-electron coincidence spectroscopy technique. We use this molecule as a testbed for analyzing core-valence spectra by means of quantum chemical calculations of transition energies. These theoretical approaches range from two simple models, one based on orbital energies corrected by core valence interaction and one based on the equivalent core approximation, to a systematic series of quantum chemical electronic structure methods of increasing sophistication. The two simple models are found to provide a fast orbital interpretation of the spectra, in particular in the low energy parts, while the coverage of the full spectrum is best fulfilled by correlated models. CASPT2 is the most sophisticated model applied, but considering precision as well as computational costs, the single and double excitation configuration interaction model seems to provide the best option to analyze core-valence double hole spectra.

International audience; Few-photon ionization and relaxation processes in acetylene (C2H2) and ethane (C2H6) were investigated at the linac coherent light source x-ray free electron laser (FEL) at SLAC, Stanford using a highly efficient multi-particle correlation spectroscopy technique based on a magnetic bottle. The analysis method of covariance mapping has been applied and enhanced, allowing us to identify electron pairs associated with double core hole (DCH) production and competing multiple ionization processes including Auger decay sequences. The experimental technique and the analysis procedure are discussed in the light of earlier investigations of DCH studies carried out at the same FEL and at third generation synchrotron radiation sources. In particular, we demonstrate the capability of the covariance mapping technique to disentangle the formation of molecular DCH states which is barely feasible with conventional electron spectroscopy methods.

Using a multi-electron coincidence technique combined with synchrotron radiation we demonstrate the real existence of the elusive three-electron collective process in resonant Auger decay of Kr. The three-electron process is about 40 times weaker than the competing two-electron processes.

Using a new multi-electron multi-ion coincidence apparatus and soft x-ray synchrotron radiation we have determined branching ratios to final Xen+ states with 2 < n < 9 from the 4d(-1), 4p(-1), 4s(-1), 3d(-1) and 3p(-1) Xe+ hole states. The coincident electron spectra give information on the Auger cascade pathways. We show that by judicious choice of coincident electrons, almost pure single charge states of the final ions can be selected.

The low density matter beamline of the free electron laser facility FERMI is dedicated to the study of atomic, molecular and cluster systems, and here we describe the optical setup available for two-colour experiments. Samples can be exposed to ultrashort pulses from a Ti:Sapphire source (fundamental, or second or third harmonic), and ultrashort light pulses of FERMI in the EUV/soft x-ray region with a well-defined temporal delay, and negligible jitter (