Photoelectron diffraction from laser-aligned molecules with X-ray free-electron laser pulses

Sci Rep. 2015 Sep 15:5:14065. doi: 10.1038/srep14065.

Abstract

We report on the measurement of deep inner-shell 2p X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) patterns from laser-aligned I2 molecules using X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses. The XPD patterns of the I2 molecules, aligned parallel to the polarization vector of the XFEL, were well matched with our theoretical calculations. Further, we propose a criterion for applying our molecular-structure-determination methodology to the experimental XPD data. In turn, we have demonstrated that this approach is a significant step toward the time-resolved imaging of molecular structures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't