Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation time structure.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Synchrotron radiation's time structure is crucial for studying dynamic material properties.
• Current limitations exist in accessing wide time domains for pump-probe experiments.
• Accurate timing of photoelectron creation is essential for time-resolved studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement a new detector for precise photoelectron timing in pump-probe experiments.
• To characterize the time-of-flight of photoelectrons within an electron energy analyzer.
• To evaluate the feasibility of picosecond-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy at SOLEIL.

Main Methods:

• Installation of a 2D delay-line detector with 5 ns time resolution on a Scienta SES 2002 electron energy analyzer.
• Characterization of photoelectron time-of-flight as a function of kinetic and pass energy.
• Utilizing the time structure of the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation source.

Main Results:

• The new detector enables photoelectron creation time measurement from milliseconds to picoseconds.
• The time spread of detected electrons was found to be less than 140 ns, even at low kinetic energies (10 eV) and pass energies (2 eV).
• The system's performance is compatible with SOLEIL's pulse width for high-time-resolution experiments.

Conclusions:

• The developed detector system overcomes previous time-domain limitations in photoelectron spectroscopy.
• This advancement facilitates high-time-resolution pump-probe experiments using synchrotron radiation.
• The findings pave the way for detailed investigations of ultrafast material dynamics.