Generation of entanglement using a short-wavelength seeded free-electron laser.

Quantum entanglement between the degrees of freedom encountered in the classical world is challenging to observe due to the surrounding environment. To elucidate this issue, we investigate the entanglement generated over ultrafast timescales in a bipartite quantum system comprising two massive particles: a free-moving photoelectron, which expands to a mesoscopic length scale, and a light-dressed atomic ion, which represents a hybrid state of light and matter. Although the photoelectron spectra are measured classically, the entanglement allows us to reveal information about the dressed-state dynamics of the ion and the femtosecond extreme ultraviolet pulses delivered by a seeded free-electron laser.

Observation of Rabi dynamics with a short-wavelength free-electron laser.

Rabi oscillations are periodic modulations of populations in two-level systems interacting with a time-varying field. They are ubiquitous in physics with applications in different areas such as photonics, nano-electronics, electron microscopy and quantum information. 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 approximation.

Ultrafast Structural Dynamics of Nanoparticles in Intense Laser Fields.

Femtosecond laser pulses have opened new frontiers for the study of ultrafast phase transitions and nonequilibrium states of matter. In this Letter, we report on structural dynamics in atomic clusters pumped with intense near-infrared (NIR) pulses into a nanoplasma state. Employing wide-angle scattering with intense femtosecond x-ray pulses from a free-electron laser source, we find that highly excited xenon nanoparticles retain their crystalline bulk structure and density in the inner core long after the driving NIR pulse.

Real-time observation of X-ray-induced intramolecular and interatomic electronic decay in CHI.

The increasing availability of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has catalyzed the development of single-object structural determination and of structural dynamics tracking in real-time. Disentangling the molecular-level reactions triggered by the interaction with an XFEL pulse is a fundamental step towards developing such applications. Here we report real-time observations of XFEL-induced electronic decay via short-lived transient electronic states in the diiodomethane molecule, using a femtosecond near-infrared probe laser.

Radiation-Induced Chemical Dynamics in Ar Clusters Exposed to Strong X-Ray Pulses.

We show that electron and ion spectroscopy reveals the details of the oligomer formation in Ar clusters exposed to an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) pulse, i.e., chemical dynamics triggered by x rays.

Disentangling Auger decays in O by photoelectron-ion coincidences.

In non-resonant Auger electron spectroscopies, multi core-ionized states lead to numerous energetically close-lying electronic transitions in Auger spectra, this hampering the assignment and interpretation of the experimental results. Here we reveal a new method to overcome this intrinsic limitation of non-resonant inner-shell spectroscopies. In a proof-of-principle experiment performed for the O molecule, most of the Auger final states are dissociative, and we measure in coincidence the kinetic energy of the photoelectron and the kinetic energy release of the (O, O) ion pairs produced after the Auger decay of the O 1s core-ionized states.

Ultrafast Coulomb explosion of a diiodomethane molecule induced by an X-ray free-electron laser pulse.

Coulomb explosion of diiodomethane CHI molecules irradiated by ultrashort and intense X-ray pulses from SACLA, the Japanese X-ray free electron laser facility, was investigated by multi-ion coincidence measurements and self-consistent charge density-functional-based tight-binding (SCC-DFTB) simulations. The diiodomethane molecule, containing two heavy-atom X-ray absorbing sites, exhibits a rather different charge generation and nuclear motion dynamics compared to iodomethane CHI with only a single heavy atom, as studied earlier. We focus on charge creation and distribution in CHI in comparison to CHI.

In situ correction of the spherical aberration in a double-toroidal electron analyzer.

In an energy-dispersive electron spectrometer, the electrons with the same kinetic energy but different polar angles fly along different paths and impinge upon the detector at different locations. This behavior materializes the spherical aberration of the electron optics, which deteriorates the focussing quality on the detector, and thus the energy resolution of the instrument. Here, we demonstrate that, in general, the electron time of flight changes monotonically as a function of the polar angle.

Charge transfer in dissociating iodomethane and fluoromethane molecules ionized by intense femtosecond X-ray pulses.

Ultrafast electron transfer in dissociating iodomethane and fluoromethane molecules was studied at the Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron laser using an ultraviolet-pump, X-ray-probe scheme. The results for both molecules are discussed with respect to the nature of their UV excitation and different chemical properties. Signatures of long-distance intramolecular charge transfer are observed for both species, and a quantitative analysis of its distance dependence in iodomethane is carried out for charge states up to I(21+).

Photoelectron diffraction in methane probed via vibrationally resolved inner-valence photoionization cross-section ratios.

Vibrationally resolved photoionization of the 2a1 orbital in methane has been studied both experimentally and theoretically, over a wide range of photon energies (40-475 eV). A vibrational progression associated with the symmetric stretch mode of the 2a1(-1) single-hole state was observed in the experimental photoelectron spectra. Individual vibrational sub-states of the spectra were found to be best modeled by asymmetric line-shapes with linewidths gradually increasing with the vibrational quantum number.

Water adsorption on TiO2 surfaces probed by soft X-ray spectroscopies: bulk materials vs. isolated nanoparticles.

We describe an experimental method to probe the adsorption of water at the surface of isolated, substrate-free TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) based on soft X-ray spectroscopy in the gas phase using synchrotron radiation. To understand the interfacial properties between water and TiO2 surface, a water shell was adsorbed at the surface of TiO2 NPs. We used two different ways to control the hydration level of the NPs: in the first scheme, initially solvated NPs were dried and in the second one, dry NPs generated thanks to a commercial aerosol generator were exposed to water vapor.

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Isolated Nanoparticles.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a very efficient and still progressing surface analysis technique. However, when applied to nano-objects, this technique faces drawbacks due to interactions with the substrate and sample charging effects. We present a new experimental approach to XPS based on coupling soft X-ray synchrotron radiation with an in-vacuum beam of free nanoparticles, focused by an aerodynamic lens system.

Charge and Nuclear Dynamics Induced by Deep Inner-Shell Multiphoton Ionization of CH3I Molecules by Intense X-ray Free-Electron Laser Pulses.

In recent years, free-electron lasers operating in the true X-ray regime have opened up access to the femtosecond-scale dynamics induced by deep inner-shell ionization. We have investigated charge creation and transfer dynamics in the context of molecular Coulomb explosion of a single molecule, exposed to sequential deep inner-shell ionization within an ultrashort (10 fs) X-ray pulse. The target molecule was CH3I, methane sensitized to X-rays by halogenization with a heavy element, iodine.

Rotational Doppler Effect: A Probe for Molecular Orbitals Anisotropy.

The vibrationally resolved X-ray photoelectron spectra of X2Σg+(3σg−1) and B2Σu+(2σu−1) states of N2+ were recorded for different photon energies and orientations of the polarization vector. Clear dependencies of the spectral line widths on the X-ray polarization as well as on the symmetry of the final electronic states are observed. Contrary to the translational Doppler, the rotational Doppler broadening is sensitive to the photoelectron emission anisotropy.

Synchrotron-radiation-based soft X-ray electron spectroscopy applied to structural and chemical characterization of isolated species, from molecules to nanoparticles.

With its extended tunability from the IR to hard X-rays and the exceptional spectral brightness offered by the 3rd generation storage rings, synchrotron radiation (SR) is an invaluable investigation tool. Major methodological developments are now available, and are applied to simple, isolated atoms and molecules (which can be often modeled ab initio) and are then extended to the investigation of more and more complex species, up to soft and hard condensed matter. The present article highlights, with a few examples, the most recent achievements in SR-based soft X-ray electron spectroscopy applied to the structural characterization of isolated species of increasing complexity, from molecules and clusters to nanoparticles.

Site-selective photoemission from delocalized valence shells induced by molecular rotation.

Due to the generally delocalized nature of molecular valence orbitals, valence-shell spectroscopies do not usually allow to specifically target a selected atom in a molecule. However, in X-ray electron spectroscopy, the photoelectron momentum is large and the recoil angular momentum transferred to the molecule is larger when the photoelectron is ejected from a light atom compared with a heavy one. This confers an extreme sensitivity of the rotational excitation to the ionization site.

A multi purpose source chamber at the PLEIADES beamline at SOLEIL for spectroscopic studies of isolated species: cold molecules, clusters, and nanoparticles.

This paper describes the philosophy and design goals regarding the construction of a versatile sample environment: a source capable of producing beams of atoms, molecules, clusters, and nanoparticles in view of studying their interaction with short wavelength (vacuum ultraviolet and x-ray) synchrotron radiation. In the design, specific care has been taken of (a) the use standard components, (b) ensuring modularity, i.e.

From double-slit interference to structural information in simple hydrocarbons.

Interferences in coherent emission of photoelectrons from two equivalent atomic centers in a molecule are the microscopic analogies of the celebrated Young's double-slit experiment. By considering inner-valence shell ionization in the series of simple hydrocarbons C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6, we show that double-slit interference is widespread and has built-in quantitative information on geometry, orbital composition, and many-body effects. A theoretical and experimental study is presented over the photon energy range of 70-700 eV.

Structural characterization of small Xe clusters using their 5s correlation satellite electron spectrum.

The Xe 5s photoelectron spectrum and 5p(4)nl correlation satellites have been studied in small Xe clusters of an average size of about 15 atoms. The satellite structures are interpreted with the help of the atomic Xe lines. Transition energy shifts between the atomic and the corner/edge/face/bulk components in clusters are divided into polarization screening and exchange interaction energy.

Design of a lens table for a double toroidal electron spectrometer.

We report here on the method we developed to build a lens table for a four-element electrostatic transfer lens operated together with a double toroidal electron energy analyzer designed by one of us, and whose original design and further improvements are described in detail in Miron et al. [Rev. Sci.

Gas-Phase Protein Inner-Shell Spectroscopy by Coupling an Ion Trap with a Soft X-ray Beamline.

C, N, and O near-edge ion yield spectroscopy of 8+ selected electrosprayed cations of cytochrome c protein (12 kDa) has been performed by coupling a linear quadrupole ion trap with a soft X-ray beamline. The photoactivation tandem mass spectra were recorded as a function of the photon energy. Photoionization of the precursor, accompanied by CO2 loss, is the dominant relaxation process, showing high photoion stability following direct or resonant photoionization.

Multimode resonant Auger scattering from the ethene molecule.

Resonant Auger spectra of ethene molecule have been measured with vibrational resolution at several excitation energies in the region of the C1s(-1)1b(2g)(π*) resonance. The main features observed in the experiment have been assigned and are accurately interpreted on the basis of ab initio multimode calculations. Theory explains the extended vibrational distribution of the resonant Auger spectra and its evolution as a function of the excitation energy by multimode excitation during the scattering process.