All Publications


  • Ultrafast isomerization initiated by X-ray core ionization. Nature communications Liekhus-Schmaltz, C. E., Tenney, I., Osipov, T., Sanchez-Gonzalez, A., Berrah, N., Boll, R., Bomme, C., Bostedt, C., Bozek, J. D., Carron, S., Coffee, R., Devin, J., Erk, B., Ferguson, K. R., Field, R. W., Foucar, L., Frasinski, L. J., Glownia, J. M., Gühr, M., Kamalov, A., Krzywinski, J., Li, H., Marangos, J. P., Martinez, T. J., McFarland, B. K., Miyabe, S., Murphy, B., Natan, A., Rolles, D., Rudenko, A., Siano, M., Simpson, E. R., Spector, L., Swiggers, M., Walke, D., Wang, S., Weber, T., Bucksbaum, P. H., Petrovic, V. S. 2015; 6: 8199-?

    Abstract

    Rapid proton migration is a key process in hydrocarbon photochemistry. Charge migration and subsequent proton motion can mitigate radiation damage when heavier atoms absorb X-rays. If rapid enough, this can improve the fidelity of diffract-before-destroy measurements of biomolecular structure at X-ray-free electron lasers. Here we study X-ray-initiated isomerization of acetylene, a model for proton dynamics in hydrocarbons. Our time-resolved measurements capture the transient motion of protons following X-ray ionization of carbon K-shell electrons. We Coulomb-explode the molecule with a second precisely delayed X-ray pulse and then record all the fragment momenta. These snapshots at different delays are combined into a 'molecular movie' of the evolving molecule, which shows substantial proton redistribution within the first 12 fs. We conclude that significant proton motion occurs on a timescale comparable to the Auger relaxation that refills the K-shell vacancy.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/ncomms9199

    View details for PubMedID 26354002

  • Ultrafast isomerization initiated by X-ray core ionization. Nature communications Liekhus-Schmaltz, C. E., Tenney, I., Osipov, T., Sanchez-Gonzalez, A., Berrah, N., Boll, R., Bomme, C., Bostedt, C., Bozek, J. D., Carron, S., Coffee, R., Devin, J., Erk, B., Ferguson, K. R., Field, R. W., Foucar, L., Frasinski, L. J., Glownia, J. M., Gühr, M., Kamalov, A., Krzywinski, J., Li, H., Marangos, J. P., Martinez, T. J., McFarland, B. K., Miyabe, S., Murphy, B., Natan, A., Rolles, D., Rudenko, A., Siano, M., Simpson, E. R., Spector, L., Swiggers, M., Walke, D., Wang, S., Weber, T., Bucksbaum, P. H., Petrovic, V. S. 2015; 6: 8199-?

    View details for DOI 10.1038/ncomms9199

    View details for PubMedID 26354002