arXiv subjects

Laurent Nahon

Publications and source records attributed to Laurent Nahon.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Relaxation Dynamics in Photoexcited Chiral Molecules Studied by Time-Resolved Photoelectron Circular Dichroism: Toward Chiral Femtochemistry

Unravelling the main initial dynamics responsible for chiral recognition is a key stepin the understanding of many biological processes. However this challenging task requires a sensitive enantiospecic probe to investigate molecular dynamics on their natural femtosecond timescale. Here we show that, in the gas phase, the ultrafast relaxationdynamics of photoexcited chiral molecules can be tracked by recording Time-ResolvedPhotoElectron Circular Dichroism (TR-PECD) resulting from the photoionisation bya circularly polarized probe pulse. A large forward/backward asymmetry along theprobe propagation axis is observed in the photoelectron angular distribution. Its evolution with pump-probe delay reveals ultrafast dynamics that are inaccessible in theangle-integrated photoelectron spectrum nor via the usual electron emission anisotropyparameter ($β$). PECD, which originates from the electron scattering in the chiral molecular potential, appears as a new sensitive observable for ultrafast molecular dynamicsin chiral systems.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2015

Dissociative photoionization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules carrying an ethynyl group

The life cycle of the population of interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules depends partly on the photostability of the individual species. We have studied the dissociative photoionization of two ethynyl-substituted PAH species, namely, 9-ethynylphenanthrene and 1-ethynylpyrene. Their adiabatic ionization energy and the appearance energy of fragment ions have been measured with the photoelectron photoion coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy technique. The adiabatic ionization energy has been found at 7.84 +/- 0.02 eV for 9-ethynylphenanthrene and at 7.41 +/- 0.02 eV for 1-ethynylpyrene. These values are similar to those determined for the corresponding non-substituted PAH molecules phenanthrene and pyrene. The appearance energy of the fragment ion indicative of the loss of a H atom following photoionization is also similar for either ethynyl-substituted PAH molecule and its non-substituted counterpart. The measurements are used to estimate the critical energy for the loss of a H atom by the PAH cations and the stability of ethynyl-substituted PAH molecules upon photoionization. We conclude that these PAH derivatives are as photostable as the non-substituted species in HI regions. If present in the interstellar medium, they may play an important role in the growth of interstellar PAH molecules.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

VUV Fourier-transform absorption study of the Lyman and Werner bands in D2

An extensive survey of the D2 absorption spectrum has been performed with the high-resolution VUV Fourier-transform spectrometer of the DESIRS beamline at the SOLEIL synchrotron. The frequency range of 90 000-119 000 cm-1 covers the full depth of the potential wells of the B 1Σ+u, B' 1Σ+u, and C 1Πu electronic states up to the D(1s) + D(2\ell) dissociation limit. Improved level energies of rovibrational levels have been determined up to respectively v = 51, v = 13, and v = 20. Highest resolution is achieved by probing absorption in a molecular gas jet with slit geometry, as well as in a liquid helium cooled static gas cell, resulting in line widths of ~0.35 cm-1. Extended calibration methods are employed to extract line positions of D2 lines at absolute accuracies of 0.03 cm-1. The D1Πu and B" 1Σ+u electronic states correlate with the D(1s) + D(3\ell) dissociation limit, but support a few vibrational levels below the second dissociation limit, respectively v = 0-3 and v = 0-1, and are also included in the presented study. The complete set of resulting level energies is the most comprehensive and accurate data set for D2. The observations are compared with previous studies, both experimental and theoretical.

physics.atom-ph↗