Cong Wu

Communication: Determining the structure of the N2Ar van der Waals complex with laser-based channel-selected Coulomb explosion

We experimentally reconstructed the structure of the N2Ar van der Waals complex with the technique of laser-based channel-selected Coulomb explosion imaging. The internuclear distance between the N2 center of mass and the Ar atom, i.e., the length of the van der Waals bond, was determined to be 3.88 Å from the two-body explosion channels. The angle between the van der Waals bond and the N2 principal axis was determined to be 90° from the three-body explosion channels. The reconstructed structure was contrasted with our high level ab initio calculations. The agreement demonstrated the potential application of laser-based Coulomb explosion in imaging transient molecular structure, particularly for floppy van der Waals complexes, whose structures remain difficult to be determined by conventional spectroscopic methods.

Three-body fragmentation of CO2 driven by intense laser pulses

Dissociative ionization dynamics were studied experimentally for CO2 driven by intense laser pulses. Three-dimensional momentum vectors of correlated atomic ions were obtained for each three-body fragmentation event using triple ion coincidence measurement. Newton diagram demonstrated that three-body fragmentation of CO2 (n+) (n = 3-6) can occur through Coulomb explosion process and sequential fragmentation process depending on the fragmentation channels. The experimental data from these two processes were disentangled by using correlation diagram of correlated ions. Based on the accurate Coulomb explosion data, we reconstructed the bond angle distributions of CO2 (n+) at the moment of fragmentation, which are close to that of neutral CO2 before laser irradiation.

Coincidence imaging of photoelectrons and photo-ions of molecules in strong laser fields

In recent years, reaction microscopes have become a powerful technique to image ultrafast dynamics in atoms and molecules. Here, we present the specific details of our reaction microscope that was designed to study molecular dynamics driven by intense femtosecond laser pulses. A supersonic molecular beam and laser focusing system was specially designed to confine molecules to the peak intensity of the laser focus. Reaction channels can be precisely identified and three-dimensional momentum vectors can be accurately acquired for correlated reaction products with high resolution. The molecular structure information can be extracted based on the experimentally measured momentum vectors of the photoelectrons and the photo-ions that are generated in the laser–molecule interaction.

Structural determination of argon trimer

Rare gas clusters are model systems to investigate structural properties at finite size. However, their structures are difficult to be determined with available experimental techniques because of the strong coupling between the vibration and the rotation. Here we experimentally investigated multiple ionization and fragmentation dynamics of argon trimer by ultrashort intense laser fields and reconstructed their structures with Coulomb explosion technique. The measured structure distribution was compared with our finite-temperature ab initio calculations and the discrepancy was discussed. The present study provides a guidance for the development of theoretical methods for exploring the geometric structure of rare gas clusters.