"Real-Time Capture of Molecular Ionization and Structural Transformations"
Researchers used MeV-UED to study the generation and structural transformations of molecular ions produced by non-resonant strong-field ionization of toluene molecules. They implemented resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) to achieve soft ionization and high ionization efficiencies. The study revealed an unusually long induction period of approximately 4 ps before structural changes occurred in the ionized species. Kinetic analysis and structural refinements using density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided detailed insights into the formation and structural features of the ionized species, shedding light on the photoreaction pathways and molecular structures of the excited population.