Correlated proton-electron hole dynamics in protonated water clusters upon extreme ultraviolet photoionization

The ultrafast nuclear and electronic dynamics of protonated water clusters H+(H2O)n after extreme ultraviolet photoionization is investigated. In particular, we focus on cluster cations with n = 3, 6, and 21. Upon ionization, two positive charges are present in the cluster related to the excess prot...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zheng Li, Oriol Vendrell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIP Publishing LLC and ACA 2016-07-01
Series:Structural Dynamics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4939897
Description
Summary:The ultrafast nuclear and electronic dynamics of protonated water clusters H+(H2O)n after extreme ultraviolet photoionization is investigated. In particular, we focus on cluster cations with n = 3, 6, and 21. Upon ionization, two positive charges are present in the cluster related to the excess proton and the missing electron, respectively. A correlation is found between the cluster's geometrical conformation and initial electronic energy with the size of the final fragments produced. For situations in which the electron hole and proton are initially spatially close, the two entities become correlated and separate in a time-scale of 20 to 40 fs driven by strong non-adiabatic effects.
ISSN:2329-7778