Anion photoelectron velocity-map imaging using a tunable laser at a 100 kHz repetition rate

Abstract

We present velocity-map imaging (VMI) of photoelectrons detached from anions using an optical parametric amplifier operating at a repetition rate as high as 100 kHz. The light source generates femtosecond (fs) laser pulses tunable from near-infrared to ultraviolet (310–2600 nm), which interact synchronously with mass-selected anion bunches. We demonstrate this technique by measuring two-dimensional projections of photoelectrons ejected from silver trimer anions, Ag3−, across a photon energy range from 2.43 to 4.00 eV (509–310 nm), with an average power of 50–300 mW. This high-repetition-rate VMI setup allows rapid data acquisition of photoelectron spectra and laboratory-frame photoelectron angular distributions of anions at various photon energies, facilitating investigation of their electronic and geometric structures. Taking advantage of the fs pulses, this approach will also enable time-resolved photoelectron imaging for tracking electronic and nuclear dynamics of anions with high efficiency.