Auger decay and subsequent fragmentation pathways of ethylene following K -shell ionization

Abstract

The fragmentation pathways and dynamics of ethylene molecules after core ionization are explored using coincident measurements of the Auger electron and fragment ions by employing the cold target recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy method. The influence of several factors on the dynamics and kinematics of the dissociation is studied. These include propensity rules, ionization mechanisms, symmetry of the orbitals from which the Auger electrons originate, multiple scattering, conical intersections, interference, and possible core-hole localization for the double ionization of this polyatomic molecule. Energy correlation maps allow probing the multidimensional potential energy surfaces and, in combination with our multiconfiguration self-consistent field calculations, identifying the populated electronic states of the dissociating dication. The measured angular distributions of the Auger electrons in the molecular frame further support and augment these assignments. The deprotonation and molecular hydrogen ion elimination channels show a nearly isotropic Auger electron angular distribution with a small elongation along the direction perpendicular to the molecular axis. For the symmetric breakup the angular distributions show a clear influence of multiple scattering on the outgoing electrons. The lowest kinetic energy release feature of the symmetric breakup channel displays a fingerprint of entangled Auger and photoelectron motion in the angular emission pattern identifying this transition as an excellent candidate to probe core-hole localization at a conical intersection of a polyatomic molecule.