Photodissociation and photoelectron imaging of molecular ions: Probing multisurface and multichannel dynamics

Abstract

High-resolution ion and electron imaging techniques have been used to explore a series of problems in the reaction dynamics of gas phase ions. These have applications ranging from fundamental dynamical studies to atmospheric chemistry and astrochemistry. In this minireview we illustrate these approaches with several examples from our recent work. We examine the conformationally- and vibrationally-mediated photodissociation dynamics of propanal and ethylene cations, and show how these can reveal reaction dynamics across multiple electronic potential surfaces of these molecules. Recent results for methylamine cation photodissociation provide insight into the rich chemistry of the ionosphere of Saturn's great moon, Titan. The combination of high-resolution ion and photoelectron imaging, REMPI spectroscopy and state-of-the-art ab initio calculations yields a powerful multifaceted approach to studying photoionization and photofragmentation dynamics in ions. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.