Molecular structure retrieval directly from laboratory-frame photoelectron spectra in laser-induced electron diffraction

Abstract

Ubiquitous to most molecular scattering methods is the challenge to retrieve bond distance and angle from the scattering signals since this requires convergence of pattern matching algorithms or fitting methods. This problem is typically exacerbated when imaging larger molecules or for dynamic systems with little a priori knowledge. Here, we employ laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) which is a powerful means to determine the precise atomic configuration of an isolated gas-phase molecule with picometre spatial and attosecond temporal precision. We introduce a simple molecular retrieval method, which is based only on the identification of critical points in the oscillating molecular interference scattering signal that is extracted directly from the laboratory-frame photoelectron spectrum. The method is compared with a Fourier-based retrieval method, and we show that both methods correctly retrieve the asymmetrically stretched and bent field-dressed configuration of the asymmetric top molecule carbonyl sulfide (OCS), which is confirmed by our quantum-classical calculations.

References in corpus (7)

• Imaging the Photochemical Ring-Opening of 1,3-Cyclohexadiene by Ultrafast Electron Diffraction
• Imaging an aligned polyatomic molecule with laser-induced electron diffraction
• Influence of orbital symmetry on diffraction imaging with rescattering electron wave packets
• Imaging the Renner-Teller effect using laser-induced electron diffraction
• Atomic-resolution imaging of carbonyl sulfide by laser-induced electron diffraction
• Imaging an isolated water molecule using a single electron wave packet
• Carbonyl sulphide under strong laser field: time-dependent density functional theory

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Quantum interference and imaging using intense laser fields
• All-Electron, Density Functional-Based Method for Angle-Resolved Tunneling Ionization in the Adiabatic Regime
• A new route for enantio-sensitive structure determination by photoelectron scattering on molecules in the gas phase
• Laser-induced electron diffraction in the over-the-barrier ionization (OBI) regime