Belsa B, Amini K, Liu X, Sanchez A, Steinle T, Steinmetzer J, Le AT, Moshammer R, Pfeifer T, Ullrich J, Moszynski R, Lin CD, Gräfe S, Biegert J (2021)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2021
Book Volume: 8
Article Number: 014301
Journal Issue: 1
DOI: 10.1063/4.0000046
Visualizing molecular transformations in real-time requires a structural retrieval method with Ångström spatial and femtosecond temporal atomic resolution. Imaging of hydrogen-containing molecules additionally requires an imaging method sensitive to the atomic positions of hydrogen nuclei, with most methods possessing relatively low sensitivity to hydrogen scattering. Laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) is a table-top technique that can image ultrafast structural changes of gas-phase polyatomic molecules with sub-Ångström and femtosecond spatiotemporal resolution together with relatively high sensitivity to hydrogen scattering. Here, we image the umbrella motion of an isolated ammonia molecule (NH3) following its strong-field ionization. Upon ionization of a neutral ammonia molecule, the ammonia cation (NH3+) undergoes an ultrafast geometrical transformation from a pyramidal (φ HNH = 107 °) to planar (φ HNH = 120 °) structure in approximately 8 femtoseconds. Using LIED, we retrieve a near-planar (φ HNH = 117 ± 5 °) field-dressed NH3+ molecular structure 7.8 - 9.8 femtoseconds after ionization. Our measured field-dressed NH3+ structure is in excellent agreement with our calculated equilibrium field-dressed structure using quantum chemical ab initio calculations.
APA:
Belsa, B., Amini, K., Liu, X., Sanchez, A., Steinle, T., Steinmetzer, J.,... Biegert, J. (2021). Laser-induced electron diffraction of the ultrafast umbrella motion in ammonia. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1063/4.0000046
MLA:
Belsa, Blanca, et al. "Laser-induced electron diffraction of the ultrafast umbrella motion in ammonia." STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS 8.1 (2021).
BibTeX: Download