Nikolai V. Kryzhevoi

Molecular double core-hole electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis

We explore the potential of double core hole electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis in terms of x-ray two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy. The creation of deep single and double core vacancies induces significant reorganization of valence electrons. The corresponding relaxation energies and the interatomic relaxation energies are evaluated by complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) calculations. We propose a method on how to experimentally extract these quantities by the measurement of single ionization potentials (IPs) and double core hole ionization potentials (DIPs). The influence of the chemical environment on these DIPs is also discussed for states with two holes at the same atomic site and states with two holes at two different atomic sites. Electron density difference between the ground and double core hole states clearly shows the relaxations accompanying the double core hole ionization. The effect is also compared to the sensitivity of single core hole IPs arising in single co...

Inner-shell single and double ionization potentials of aminophenol isomers

A comprehensive study of single and double core ionization potentials of the aminophenol molecule is reported. The role of relaxation, correlation, relativistic, and basis set effects in these potentials is clarified. Special attention is paid to the isomer dependence of the single and double core ionization potentials. Some of them are also compared with the respective values of the phenol and aniline molecules. It is shown that the core level single ionization potentials of the para-, meta-, and ortho-aminophenol molecules differ only slightly from each other, rendering these structural isomers challenging to distinguish for conventional x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In contrast, the energy needed to remove two core electrons from different atoms depends noticeably on the mutual arrangement and even on the relative orientations of the hydroxyl and amine groups. Together with the electrostatic repulsion between the two core holes, relaxation effects accompanying double core ionization play a crucial role here. The pronounced sensitivity of the double ionization potentials, therefore, enables a spectroscopic characterization of the electronic structure of aminophenol isomers by means of x-ray two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy.

Core Ionization Initiates Subfemtosecond Charge Migration in the Valence Shell of Molecules

After the ionization of a valence electron, the created hole can migrate ultrafast from one end of the molecule to another. Because of the advent of attosecond pulse techniques, the measuring and understanding of charge migration has become a central topic in attosecond science. Here, we pose the hitherto unconsidered question whether ionizing a core electron will also lead to charge migration. It is found that the created hole in the core stays put, but in response to this hole interesting electron dynamics takes place which can lead to intense charge migration in the valence shell. This migration is typically faster than that after the ionization of a valence electron and transpires on a shorter time scale than the natural decay of the core hole by the Auger process, making the subject very challenging to attosecond science.

Ionic-Charge Dependence of tie Intermolecular Coulombic Decay Time Scale for Aqueous Ions Probed by the Core-Hole Clock

Auger electron spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations has been applied to investigate the decay of the Ca 2p core hole of aqueous Ca(2+). Beyond the localized two-hole final states on the calcium ion, originating from a normal Auger process, we have further identified the final states delocalized between the calcium ion and its water surroundings and produced by core level intermolecular Coulombic decay (ICD) processes. By applying the core-hole clock method, the time scale of the core level ICD was determined to be 33 ± 1 fs for the 2p core hole of the aqueous Ca(2+). The comparison of this time constant to those associated with the aqueous K(+), Na(+), Mg(2+), and Al(3+) ions reveals differences of 1 and up to 2 orders of magnitude. Such large variations in the characteristic time scales of the core level ICD processes is qualitatively explained by different internal decay mechanisms in different ions as well as by different ion-solvent distances and interactions.

Auger Electron Spectroscopy as a Probe of the Solution of Aqueous Ions

Aqueous potassium chloride has been studied by synchrotron-radiation excited core-level photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy. In the Auger spectrum of the potassium ion, the main feature comprises the final states where two outer valence holes are localized on potassium. This spectrum exhibits also another feature at a higher kinetic energy which is related to final states where outer valence holes reside on different subunits. Through ab initio calculations for microsolvated clusters, these subunits have been assigned as potassium ions and the surrounding water molecules. The situation is more complicated in the Auger spectrum of the chloride anion. One-center and multicenter final states are present here as well but overlap energetically.

Proton-transfer mediated enhancement of nonlocal electronic relaxation processes in X-ray irradiated liquid water.

We have simulated the oxygen 1s Auger-electron spectra of normal and heavy liquid water using ab initio and quantum dynamical methods. The computed spectra are analyzed and compared to recently reported experimental data. The electronic relaxation in liquid water exposed to ionizing X-ray radiation is shown to be far more diverse and complex than anticipated and extremely different than for an isolated water molecule. A core-level ionized water molecule in the liquid phase, in addition to a local Auger process, relaxes through nonlocal energy and charge transfer, such as intermolecular Coulombic decay and electron-transfer mediated decay (ETMD). We evaluate the relative efficiencies for these three classes of relaxation processes. The quantitative estimates for the relative efficiencies of different electronic decay modes help determine yields of various reactive species produced by ionizing X-rays. The ETMD processes which are considered here for the first time in the core-level regime are found to have a surprisingly high efficiency. Importantly, we find that all nonlocal electronic relaxation processes are significantly enhanced by ultrafast proton transfer between the core-ionized water and neighboring molecules.

Possible electronic decay channels in the ionization spectra of small clusters composed of Ar and Kr: A four-component relativistic treatment

In this work single and double ionization spectra of the homo- and heteronuclear argon/krypton dimers and trimers are calculated by means of propagator methods where a four-component implementation was employed for the single ionizations. Scalar relativistic effects play only a minor role for the outer valence spectral structure, whereas spin-orbit coupling and electron correlation have to be treated adequately in order to reproduce the features correctly. Nonradiative decay mechanisms of subvalence vacancies in the argon and krypton dimers and trimers are discussed both for the interatomic Coulombic decay and the electron transfer mediated decay (ETMD). In the heteronuclear triatomic system which serves as a model for larger clusters, a possible ETMD process of the Ar 3s vacancy is found for the linear arrangement of the atoms. In the bent configuration the ETMD channel is closed.

Relaxation Processes in Aqueous Systems upon X-ray Ionization: Entanglement of Electronic and Nuclear Dynamics

The knowledge of primary processes following the interaction of high-energy radiation with molecules in liquid phase is rather limited. In the present Perspective, we report on a newly discovered type of relaxation process involving simultaneous autoionization and proton transfer between adjacent molecules, so-called proton transfer mediated charge separation (PTM-CS) process. Within PTM-CS, transients with a half-transferred proton are formed within a few femtoseconds after the core-level ionization event. Subsequent nonradiative decay of the highly nonequilibrium transients leads to a series of reactive species, which have not been considered in any high-energy radiation process in water. Nonlocal electronic decay processes are surprisingly accelerated upon proton dynamics. Such strong coupling of electronic and nuclear dynamics is a general phenomenon for hydrogen-bonded systems, however, its probability correlates strongly with hydration geometry. We suggest that the newly observed processes will impact future high-energy radiation-chemistry-relevant modeling, and we envision application of autoionization spectroscopy for identification of solution structure details.

Nonlocal Effects in the Core Ionization and Auger Spectra of Small Ammonia Clusters

X-ray photoelectron and Auger spectroscopies are well-suited for exploring the chemical state of a selected system. Chemical shifts of electronic transitions and line broadening in the respective spectra contain a wealth of information on the interaction of the core ionized system with its local environment. The presence of neighbors in the vicinity of the core ionized system is responsible for a number of other remarkable effects such as charge-transfer satellites in core ionization spectra and intermolecular electronic transitions in Auger spectra. In addition, due to the environment, some electronic states resulting from Auger decay may further decay electronically via the intermolecular Coulombic decay mechanism. This decay by emission of an electron would be impossible if the core ionized system were isolated. All of the above phenomena happen in the small ammonia clusters whose core ionization and Auger spectra were computed from first principles and are discussed in the present paper.

Interatomic relaxation effects in double core ionization of chain molecules

Core vacancies created on opposite sides of a molecule operate against each other in polarizing the environment between them. Consequently, the relaxation energy associated with the simultaneous creation of these two core holes turns out to be smaller than the sum of the relaxation energies associated with each individual single core vacancy created independently. The corresponding residual, termed interatomic relaxation energy, is sensitive to the environment. In the present paper we explore how the interatomic relaxation energy depends on the length and type of carbon chains bridging two core ionized nitrile groups (-C≡N). We have uncovered several trends and discuss them with the help of simple electrostatic and quantum mechanical models. Namely, the absolute value of the interatomic relaxation energy depends strongly on the orbital hybridization in carbons being noticeably larger in conjugated chains (sp and sp(2) hybridizations) possessing highly mobile electrons in delocalized π-type orbitals than in saturated chains (sp(3) hybridization) where only σ bonds are available. The interatomic relaxation energy decreases monotonically with increasing chain length. The corresponding descent is determined by the energetics of the molecular bridge, in particular, by the HOMO-LUMO gap. The smallest HOMO-LUMO gap is found in molecules with the sp(2)-hybridized backbone. Here, the interatomic relaxation energy decreases slowest with the chain length.