This work describes the design and development of a velocity map imaging apparatus that will be used to study the laser initiated photochemistry of water ice and other condensed phases. Experiments on methanol ice photolysis using a different apparatus at Kyoto University are described to give an appreciation of the photochemistry and the experimental parameters. Water deposited on a surface at temperatures below 140 K can form an amorphous solid. Amorphous solid water (ASW), which does not exhibit properties of a well-defined phase, is the most profuse phase of water found in astrophysical environments. Chemical characteristics of ASW - in particular its photochemistry - and the physical characteristics closely associated with the structure such as density and surface are reviewed. The correlations between the morphology and the growth conditions of ASW are also described. Methanol is also known to be a component on the icy mantle on interstellar grains. The effects of irradiating amorphous solid methanol by UV photons are discussed. Experiments at Kyoto University have been performed to detect state-selectively nascent OH and CH3 photofragments following photolysis at 157 nm. Information on the velocity distributions was obtained from time-of-flight measurements. At Queen’s University Velocity Map Imaging combined with resonance enhance multiphoton ionization (REMPI) will be used for quantum state-selective detection of the nascent photoproducts and their velocity distribution. To help automate the experiments “virtual instruments” have been created for the hardware components of the experiment using LabVIEW 8.6. The ion optics of the velocity map imaging spectrometer under construction at Queen’s have been characterized using the SIMION 7.0 software package, and the anticipated experimental image of nascent photoproducts has been simulated by a Monte-Carlo-type algorithm. / Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2011-03-03 15:18:04.543

Ce document présente une étude des mécanismes de relaxation de fullerènes induits par photoexcitation. Nous avons exploré les processus d'ionisation et de fragmentation de ces systèmes modèles suite à une irradiation par différentes sources de lumière : impulsion femtoseconde, laser à électron libre (IR lointain) et Synchrotron (XUV). Afin d'étudier ces mécanismes, nous utilisons l’imagerie par cartographie de vitesse qui nous permet de suivre l'évolution de la distribution angulaire de vitesse des particules émises. Suivant la durée, l'intensité et la longueur d'onde de l'excitation utilisée, la nature des mécanismes change drastiquement (mécanismes statistiques, ionisation cohérente en champ fort, autoionization de plasmons, etc…). Plusieurs approches théoriques sont utilisées allant du modèle Weisskopf pour les processus statistiques à la résolution de l'équation de Schrödinger dépendante du temps pour les processus cohérents. Cette étude permet de relier les mécanismes de relaxation intervenant à différentes échelles de temps / This document presents a study of relaxation mechanisms of fullerenes induced by photoexcitation. We have investigated ionization and fragmentation processes of these model systems under irradiation by various light sources: femtosecond pulse, free electron laser (far IR) and Synchrotron (XUV). To study these mechanisms, we use the velocity map imaging technique which allows us to follow the evolution of the angular distribution and velocity of the emitted particles. The nature of the relaxation mechanisms changes drastically (statistical mechanisms, coherent ionization in strong field, autoionization of plasmons, etc.) depending on the pulse duration, its intensity and the wavelength. Several theoretical approaches have been used including a Weisskopf modelling for the statistical processes and direct treatment of the time dependant Schrödinger equation for the coherent processes. This study allows us building bridges between the relaxation mechanisms occurring on various scales of time

Gas phase metal-containing complexes provide suitable systems in which to study fundamental binding motifs between a metal ion and molecules in the absence of any solvent, support or competing charge effects. In this thesis, metal-containing species are explored experimentally using infrared resonance enhanced photodissociation (IR-REPD) spectroscopy and velocity map imaging (VMI). The experimental results are further interpreted with the aid of spectral simulations based on density functional theory (DFT). These are the first studies reported using a newly built IR-REPD spectrometer equipped with a purpose-built laser ablation source to allow for the study of single metal ion-molecule complexes. The laser ablation source is shown to efficiently produce various complexes including Rh⁺(CO₂)_n, VO₂⁺(N₂O)_n and Au⁺(CH₄)_n and the IR-REPD spectrometer has been characterised against a well-studied system of V⁺(CO₂)_n complexes. In order to record the IR-REPD spectra for small metal ion-molecule complexes, an argon atom is employed as the inert messenger. A combined IR-REPD spectroscopy and DFT investigation of M⁺(CO₂)_n complexes (where M = Co⁺, Rh⁺ and Ir⁺) reveals a common [M⁺(CO₂)₂] core structure for all three considered metal ions. Additional ligands, which are not directly bound to the central metal ion, experience lower perturbation as evident in the reduced blue-shift for the ligand in the outer coordination shells. A further IR-REPD/DFT study involving CO₂ complexation around NbO₂⁺ and TaO₂⁺ ions reveals a strongly-bound core of four CO₂ ligands around the MO₂⁺ ion (M = Nb, Ta). A significant increase in the intermolecular bond distances for the second coordination sphere ligands coincides with a decrease in the calculated binding energies. Velocity map imaging is employed to explore the rich photodissociation dynamics of VO in the vicinity of C⁴Σ- - X⁴Σ-(v',0) vibronic transitions in VO. The final quantum state distribution was observed to be strongly dependent on the intermediate vibronic state of VO via which the dissociation threshold is reached. This work provides a refined value for the VO dissociation energy of D₀(VO) = 53190 ± 261 cm^-1 in excellent agreement with available literature.

Photofragment velocity-map imaging (VMI) has generally been employed to investigate the photodissociation dynamics of relatively small molecular systems (< 5 atoms). The work reported in this thesis focuses on the application of this technique for the investigation of the unimolecular photodissociation of larger chemical systems, which are of interest to a broad cross section of the chemical community. Typically, VMI studies involve state-selective detection of one particular fragmentation product, and so are often limited to the investigation of a single dissociation channel. By employing vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) photoionization, we are able to detect most, if not all of the fragments resulting from the dissociation of a neutral species, with ‘universal’ ionization being achieved in the ideal case when the fragment ionization energies are all lower than the VUV photon energy. This capability becomes particularly important when investigating larger systems, since these often display complex dynamics with multiple competing fragmentation pathways. Our approach allows us to investigate the different photofragmentation processes occurring for a particular system, to evaluate the relative importance of the active dissociation channels, and to gain insight into the energy partitioning amongst the fragments. A study of the UV photodissociation of two neutral alkyl iodide molecules demonstrates the first use in our laboratory of ‘universal’ ionization in combination with VMI. Studies into the photofragmentation processes resulting from 193 nm photoexcitation of neutral N,N-dimethylformamide, a small-molecule model for a peptide bond, and a number of neutral cyclic alkenes, which undergo the retro-Diels-Alder reaction, are also presented. The remaining studies presented in this thesis have investigated the photofragmentation processes of ionic species, generated by means of VUV photoionization. In the case of ion dissociation each fragmentation channel necessarily produces one charged species, which may be detected using the VMI technique. Therefore, such studies provide an insight into all of the active channels. An in-depth VMI study of the UV photodissociation of two ethyl halide cations is presented, which demonstrates the successful investigation of the multiple photofragmentation pathways of these ionic species. The remainder of the cation photodissociation studies are of relevance to a number of common processes known to occur in mass spectrometry, including the McLafferty rearrangement, the retro-Diels-Alder reaction, and ‘peptide’ bond fragmentation. By velocity-map imaging the products of these reactions, further information is obtained concerning these dissociation processes, which are no doubt of interest to the wider chemical community. This work forms part of the velocity-map imaging mass spectrometry (VMImMS) project. VMImMS involves imaging each of the fragmentation products that result from dissociation of a parent molecule of interest, with the aim of increasing the amount of information that can be obtained from a mass-spectrometry-type experiment. The work presented in this thesis demonstrates that VMImMS allows us to unravel details of the dissociation dynamics of both neutral and ionic species, and is potentially a powerful technique for investigating the fragmentation processes of increasingly complex systems.

Cette thèse présente la dynamique ultrarapide de relaxation de molécules photochromes et des agrégats d'argon en phase gazeuse à l'échelle femtoseconde. Des expériences utilisant la technique « pompe-sonde » ont été menées sur un dispositif utilisant un faisceau moléculaire pulsé couplé à de l'imagerie de vitesse de photoélectron/photoion (VMI) et un spectromètre de masse à temps de vol (TOF-MS). Ces études nous ont permis de caractériser les changements de distribution électronique des différents systèmes en fonction du temps. Par ailleurs une étude théorie/expérience sur la caractérisation de la densité et de la distribution de vitesse au sein d'un faisceau moléculaire pulsé a aussi été réalisée. Dans le cas de la dynamique des dithienyléthènes, nous avons observé des mécanismes de relaxation électronique parallèles. Le paquet d'onde initial se sépare en deux parties distinctes. Une première partie se dirige vers l'état fondamental via une intersection conique, tandis que la deuxième partie reste quelques picosecondes dans l'état excité en oscillant avant de relaxer vers l'état fondamental. Cette étude nous a permis de comprendre la dynamique intrinsèque des différentes molécules étudiées, mais aussi d'étendre le mécanisme de relaxation à toute cette famille de molécules photochromes dans les trois phases dans lesquelles elles sont étudiées. Dans le cas des agrégats d'argon, deux phénomènes ont été observés à différentes échelles de temps. Le premier se produit dans les premières picosecondes et est la relaxation électronique d'un état excitonique à une vitesse d'environ 1 eV.ps⁻¹. Le deuxième phénomène résulte de la localisation de l'excitation sur une paire Ar₂* que nous avons pu observer à partir de 4-5 ps. L'éjection d'atomes d'argon excités a aussi été observée, nous permettant ainsi de connaitre la durée de vie maximale de l'état excitonique délocalisé. Ce travail a permis d'apporter des informations supplémentaires à celles fournies par les études réalisées en phase condensée. Il ouvre donc la voie vers l'étude de systèmes plus complexes tels que les nanoparticules en phase gazeuse. / This PhD thesis investigated the ultrafast dynamics of photochromic molecules and argon clusters in the gas phase at the femtosecond timescale. Pump-probe experiments are performed in a set-up which associates a versatile pulsed molecular beam coupled to a photoelectron/photoion velocity map imager (VMI) and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). Theses pump-probe experiments provides the temporal evolution of the electronic distribution for each system of interest. Besides, a modelization has been performed in order to characterize the density and the velocity distribution in the pulsed beam. Regarding the photochromic dithienylethene molecules, parallel electronic relaxation pathways were observed. This contrasts with the observation of sequential relaxation processes in most molecules studied so far. In the present case, the initial wavepacket splits in two parts. One part is driven to the ground state at the femtosecond time scale through a conical intersection, and the second part remains for ps in the excited state and experiences oscillations in a suspended well. This study has shed light into the intrinsic dynamics of the molecules under study and a general relaxation mechanism has been proposed, which applies to the whole family of dithienylethene molecules whatever the state of matter (gas phase or solution) in which they have been investigated. Concerning argon clusters excited at about 14 eV, two behaviors of different time scale have been observed at different time scales. The first one occurs in the first picoseconds of the dynamics. It corresponds to the electronic relaxation of an excitonic state at a rate of 1 eV.ps⁻¹. The second phenomenon corresponds to the localization of the exciton on the excimer Ar₂*. This phenomenon is observed 4-5 ps after the excitation. In this study, we also observed the ejection of excited argon atoms, addressing the lifetime of the delocalized excitonic state. This work provide additional informations compared to those contributed in condensed phase and it pave the way for new studies in gas phase on more complex system such as nanoparicles.

Ce document présente une étude des mécanismes de relaxation de fullerènes induits par photoexcitation. Nous avons exploré les processus d'ionisation et de fragmentation de ces systèmes modèles suite à une irradiation par différentes sources de lumière : impulsion femtoseconde, laser à électron libre (IR lointain) et Synchrotron (XUV). Afin d'étudier ces mécanismes, nous utilisons l'imagerie par cartographie de vitesse qui nous permet de suivre l'évolution de la distribution angulaire de vitesse des particules émises. Suivant la durée, l'intensité et la longueur d'onde de l'excitation utilisée, la nature des mécanismes change drastiquement (mécanismes statistiques, ionisation cohérente en champ fort, autoionization de plasmons, etc...). Plusieurs approches théoriques sont utilisées allant du modèle Weisskopf pour les processus statistiques à la résolution de l'équation de Schrödinger dépendante du temps pour les processus cohérents. Cette étude permet de relier les mécanismes de relaxation intervenant à différentes échelles de temps

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Physics / Daniel Rolles / Imaging the structures of molecules, understanding the molecular dynamics in onization and dissociation processes and, most importantly, observing chemical reactions, i.e. the making and breaking of chemical bonds in real time, have become some of the most exciting topics in the atomic and molecular physics. The rapid advances of experimental tools such as synchrotron radiation light sources, free-electron lasers and continuing advances of tabletop femtosecond ultrashort lasers that provide laser pulses at a variety of wavelengths have opened new avenues for understanding the structure of matter and the dynamics of the chemical interactions. In addition, significant improvements in computational techniques and molecular dynamic simulations have provided complementary theoretical predictions on structures and chemical dynamics. The Coulomb explosion imaging method, which has been developed and applied in many studies in the last three decades, is a powerful way to study molecular structures. The method has mostly been applied to small diatomic molecules and to simple polyatomic molecules. In this thesis, Coulomb explosion imaging is applied to study the structure of isomers, molecules that have the same chemical formula but different chemical structures. Specifically, by taking inner-shell photoionization as well as strong-field ionization approaches to ionize and fragment the molecules and by using coincidence electron-ion-ion momentum imaging techniques to obtain the three-dimensional momentum of fragment ions, structures of isomers are distinguished by using the correlations among product ion momentum vectors. At first, the study aims to understand if the Coulomb explosion imaging of geometrical isomers can identify and separate cis and trans structures. Secondly, in order to extend the application of the Coulomb explosion imaging method to larger organic molecules to test the feasibility of the method for identifying structural isomers, photoionization studiesof 2,6- and 3,5-difluoroiodobenzene have been conducted. In addition, using the full three-dimensional kinematic information of multi-fold coincidence channels, breakup dynamics of both cis/trans geometric isomers and structural isomers, and in particular, sequential fragmentation dynamics of the difluoroiodobenzene isomers are studied. Furthermore, for each study, Coulomb explosion model simulations are conducted to complement the experimental results. The results of the Coulomb explosion imaging reseach in this thesis paves the way for future time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging experiments aiming to understand the transient molecular dynamics such as photoinduced ring opening reactions and cis/trans isomerization processes in gas-phase molecules.

In the field of physical chemistry, the relatively recently developed technique of velocity-map imaging has allowed chemical dynamics to be explored with a greater depth than could be previously achieved using other methods. Capturing the scattering image associated with the products resulting from fragmentation of a molecule allows the dissociative pathways and energy landscape to be investigated. In the study of particle physics, the neutron has become an irreplaceable spectroscopic tool due to the unique nature of the interaction with certain materials. Neutron spectroscopy is a non-destructive imaging technique that allows a number of properties to be discerned, including chemical identification, strain tensor measurements and the identification of beneath the sample surface using radiography and tomography. In both of these areas, as well as a multitude of other disciplines, a flight tube is used to separate particles, distinguishing them based upon their mass in the former case and their energy in the latter. The experiments can be vastly enhanced by the ability to record both the position and arrival time of the particle of interest. This thesis describes several new developments made in instrumentation for experiments involving time-of-flight particle imaging. The first development described is the construction of a new velocity-map imaging instrument that utilises electron ionisation to perform both steps of molecular fragmentation and ionisation. Data from CO2 is presented as an example of the ability of the instrument, and a preliminary analysis of the images is performed. The second presented project is the design of a time-resolved and position-resolved detector developed for ion imaging experiments. The hardware, software and firmware are described and presented alongside data from a variety of the experiments showcasing the breadth of investigations that are possible using the sensor. Finally, the modifications made to the detector to allow time-resolved neutron imaging are detailed, with an in-depth description of the various proof-of-concept experiments carried out as part of the development process.

Dans cette thèse, la dynamique des états excités des radicaux et biradicaux a été examinée en utilisant la spectroscopie pompe-sonde résolu en temps à l'échelle femto-seconde. Les molécules à couche ouverte jouent un rôle primordial comme intermédiaires dans les processus de combustions, dans la formation de la suie et des hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques, dans la chimie atmosphérique ou dans la formation des molécules organiques complexes dans le milieu interstellaire et dans les nuages galactiques. Dans tous ces processus les molécules sont souvent excitées, soit par échauffement thermique, soit par irridation. En conséquence la réactivité et la dynamique de ces états excités sont particulièrement intéressantes afin d'obtenir une compréhension globale de ces processus. Les radicaux et biradicaux ont été produits par pyrolyse à partir de molécules précurseur adaptées et ont été examinés dans un jet moléculaire dans des conditions sans collisions. Les radicaux ont ensuite été portés dans un état excité bien défini, et ionisés avec un deuxième laser. La spectrométrie de masse à temps de vol permet une première identification de la molécule qui est complété avec des spectres de photoélectrons, si le spectre de masse ne montre majoritairement qu'une seule masse. Les spectres de photoélectron ont été obtenus par l'imagerie de vitesse, permettant d'obtenir des informations sur l'état électronique au moment de l'ionisation des électrons. L'imagerie de vitesse des ions permets de distinguer des ions issu d'une ionisation directe et ceux issu d'une ionisation dissociative. Pendant cette thèse un algorithme modifié de pBasex a été développé et implémenté en python, un algorithme qui inverse des images sans interpolation des points expérimentaux. Pour des images bruitées cet algorithme montre une meilleure performance. / In this thesis the excited-state dynamics of radicals and biradicals were characterized with femto-second pump-probe spectroscopy. These open-shell molecules play important roles as combustion intermediates, in the formation of soot and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in atmospheric chemistry and in the formation of complex molecules in the interstellar medium and galactic clouds. In these processes molecules frequently occur in some excited state, excited either by thermal energy or radiation. Knowledge of the reactivity and dynamics of these excited states complete our understanding of these complex processes. These highly reactive molecules were produced via pyrolysis from suitable precursors and examined in a molecular beam under collision-free conditions. A first laser now excites the molecule, and a second laser ionizes it. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry allowed a first identification of the molecule, which was completed by the photoelectron spectrum. The photoelectron spectrum was obtained via velocity-map imaging, providing an insight in the electronic states involved. Ion velocity map imaging allowed separation of signal from direct ionization of the radical in the molecular beam and dissociative photoionization of the precursor. During this thesis a modified pBasex algorithm was developed and implemented in python, providing an image inversion tool without interpolation of data points. Especially for noisy photoelectron images this new algorithm delivers better results. / In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde die Dynamik angeregter Zustände von Radikalen und Biradikalen mittels femtosekunden-zeitaufgelöster Anrege-Abfragespektroskopie untersucht. Radikale und Biradikale sind nicht nur wichtige Zwischenprodukte in Verbrennungsprozessen, sondern auch bei der Bildung von Ruß und polyzyklischen aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen beteiligt. Des Weiteren spielen sie eine wichtige Rolle in der Atmosphärenchemie und bei der Bildung komplexer Moleküle im interstellaren Medium. Von entscheidender Bedeutung ist in den genannten Prozessen die Anregung der Radikalen und Biradikale in energetisch höhere Zustände, dies geschieht entweder durch thermische Energie oder mittels Strahlung. Für das Verständnis der ablaufenden Vorgänge ist es zwingend erforderlich die Dynamik der angeregten zu verstehen. Die Radikale und Biradikale wurden dafür mittels Pyrolyse eines geeigneten Vorläufers erzeugt, und anschließend unter kollisionsfreien Bedingungen im Molekularstrahl spektroskopisch untersucht. Hierbei regt ein erster Laser das Molekül an, ein zweiter Laser ionisiert es. Mittels Flugzeitmassenspektrometrie wurden die Moleküle identifiziert, und mittels Photoelektronenspektroskopie weiter charackterisiert - unter der Bedingung, dass im Massenspektrum eine Masse dominiert. Das Photoelektronenspektrum wurde mittels Velocity-Map Imaging aufgenommen und gibt einen Einblick in den elektronischen Zustand im Augenblick der Ionisations. Die Velocity-Map Imaging-Technik von Ionen erlaubt außerdem die Unterscheidung von Ionen aus direkter Ionisation und dissoziativer Photoionisation. In diesem Rahmen wurde auch ein modifizierter pBasex-Algorithmus entwickelt und in Python implementiert. Dieser kommt im Gegensatz zum herkömmlichen pBasex-Algorithmus komplett ohne Interpolation der Datenpunkte aus. Besonders bei verrauschten Photoelektronenspektren liefert dieser Algorithmus bessere Ergebnisse.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effects of change in the chain length and chlorine group position on C-Cl bond photodissociation dynamics of chloroalkanes using the velocity map imaging (VMI) method. Three different chloroalkanes are studied (1-chloropropane, 2-chloropropane, 1-chloropentane) and compared with previously investigated chloromethane. Regardless of the parent chloroalkane, measured kinetic energy distributions (KEDs) of chlorine photofragments exhibit a single peak at energy around 0.8 eV. Photodissociation of higher chloroalkanes involves a recoil of a semi-rigid alkyl fragment, whose internal energy absorbs 40-60% of the total available energy. For chloromethane, however, only less than 10% of the available energy goes into the alkyl fragment excitation. Measured results of the energy partitioning are compared with cal- culations based on classical impulsive models. VMI experiment in combination with theory also yields information about the nature of electronic transition and probability of the intersystem crossing. Analysis indicates that the direct absorp- tion into the triplet state is more probable for the chloroalkanes with longer chain length, especially for the branched one. 1