Imaging of alignment and structural changes of carbon disulfide molecules using ultrafast electron diffraction

Area of Science:

• Molecular dynamics
• Ultrafast spectroscopy
• Physical chemistry

Background:

• Imaging transient molecular structures requires high spatial and temporal resolution.
• Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) offers atomic resolution for structural dynamics.
• UED from aligned molecules provides model-independent structural information.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the dynamics of carbon disulfide (CS2) after intense femtosecond laser pulse interaction.
• Explore molecular alignment, structural deformation, dissociation, and ionization processes.
• Determine the influence of laser intensity on these dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) on aligned molecules.
• Employed femtosecond laser mass spectrometry.
• Studied carbon disulfide (CS2) subjected to intense femtosecond laser pulses.

Main Results:

• Observed an upper limit in molecular alignment at laser intensities below the ionization threshold.
• Detected evidence of structural deformation in CS2 molecules.
• Observed dissociation and ionization at higher laser intensities.

Conclusions:

• UED is a powerful tool for studying ultrafast molecular dynamics.
• Laser intensity significantly influences molecular alignment, deformation, dissociation, and ionization.
• The study provides insights into the non-linear interaction of intense light with molecules.