Interference from fast electron emission in molecular photoionization

J FERNÁNDEZ, O.A. FOJÓN, A. PALACIOS, AND F. MARTÍN

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

The American Physical Society

Año: 2007 p. 430051 - 430054

0031-9007

We present a theoretical study of fast-electron emission produced in H2 and H2+ photoionization. We show that, when the electron wave length is comparable to the molecular size, the electron angular distributions arising from fixed-in-space molecules exhibit pronounced interference effects that critically depend on orientation and energy sharing between electrons and nuclei. In particular, for molecules oriented parallel to the polarization direction, the angular patterns reveal a complex nodal structure, while for molecules oriented perpendicularly, typical Young’s double-slit interferences are observed. These patterns change dramatically as the molecule vibrates.