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Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
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Interatomic electronic decay driven by nuclear motion.

Nicolas Sisourat1, Hendrik Sann, Nikolai V Kryzhevoi

  • 1Theoretische Chemie, Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Germany. Nicolas.Sisourat@pci.uni-heidelberg.de

Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Interatomic electronic decay in neon-helium dimers is driven by nuclear motion. The process requires significant bond stretching, enabling energy transfer and helium ionization.

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Area of Science:

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics
  • Quantum Chemistry
  • Spectroscopy

Background:

  • Inner-valence ionization of atoms can trigger relaxation processes.
  • Interatomic Coulombic Decay (ICD) is a key relaxation mechanism in weakly bound systems.
  • Dimeric systems like neon-helium provide a model for studying fundamental electronic processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate interatomic electronic decay following inner-valence ionization in a neon-helium dimer.
  • To determine the conditions under which ICD occurs in this system.
  • To elucidate the role of nuclear motion in driving the electronic decay process.

Main Methods:

  • Photoionization of a neon atom within a neon-helium dimer.
  • Theoretical modeling of electronic decay pathways.
  • Analysis of the dependence of decay on interatomic distance.

Main Results:

  • Inner-valence ionization of neon triggers interatomic Coulombic decay.
  • The decay process leads to the ionization of the neighboring helium atom.
  • ICD is only observed when the Ne-He bond significantly stretches to over 6.2 Å.
  • This distance is more than twice the equilibrium bond length of the neutral dimer.

Conclusions:

  • Electronic decay in neon-helium dimers is strongly dependent on nuclear configuration.
  • Nuclear motion plays a crucial role in enabling and driving the interatomic Coulombic decay at extended distances.
  • The study highlights the interplay between electronic and nuclear dynamics in molecular systems.