Imaging the Renner-Teller effect using laser-induced electron diffraction.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30952783.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.1817465116 and PMC identifier 6486720.
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Abstract
Structural information on electronically excited neutral molecules can be indirectly retrieved, largely through pump-probe and rotational spectroscopy measurements with the aid of calculations. Here, we demonstrate the direct structural retrieval of neutral carbonyl disulfide (CS<sub>2</sub>) in the [Formula: see text] excited electronic state using laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED). We unambiguously identify the ultrafast symmetric stretching and bending of the field-dressed neutral CS<sub>2</sub> molecule with combined picometer and attosecond resolution using intrapulse pump-probe excitation and measurement. We invoke the Renner-Teller effect to populate the [Formula: see text] excited state in neutral CS<sub>2</sub>, leading to bending and stretching of the molecule. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of LIED in retrieving the geometric structure of CS<sub>2</sub>, which is known to appear as a two-center scatterer.