Photoionization and photoelectron methods applied to the study of small molecules and metals using high resolution infrared and vacuum ultraviolet lasers

A tunable vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser system has been used for high resolution (0.12 cm-1) study of photoionization and pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE) processes in small molecules cooled in a supersonic beam. By operating the tunable VUV in conjunction with an infrared (IR) optical parametric oscillator/amplifier (OPO/A) laser of specified bandwidth 0.007 cm-1, a series of rotationally and/or vibrationally resolved photoionization transitions in neutral molecules such as methyl iodide (CH3I), methyl bromide (CH3Br), ethylene (C2H 4), and propyne (C3H4), have been recorded. A Smalley-type cluster source has been installed and developed for the production of metal clusters. The cluster source has been used to generate Fe atom as an initial sample; the first high resolution VUV photoionization spectrum of the 56Fe atom has been recorded.