PHOTODISSOCIATION AND O(1D) REACTIONS OF NITROUS OXIDE

Abstract

The focus of this dissertation is on the application of the velocity map imaging (VMI) technique to photodissociation and reaction dynamics. The multiplexing advantage of the VMI technique enables us to gather both angular and translational energy distributions simultaneously, with product quantum mechanical state selectivity. The first part of the thesis focuses on the ion-imaging experiments investigating the 130 nm dissociation of N2O and spectroscopic studies of its reactions with O(1D). The results are explained in conjunction with Hopper’s ab initio MCSCF calculations in the linear and bent configurations. Our analysis provide the spinorbit ratios, relative branching ratios and anisotropy parameters. We study the NO product channel of the O(1D)+N2O reaction with REMPI techniques and provide the first analysis of the rotational distribution of this channel. We will conclude the discussion of the full and half reactions of the N2O molecule by explaining the observed bimodal vibrational distribution in the NO channel. The second part focuses on the design and development of a dual-beam apparatus for the application of the VMI technique to reaction dynamics in a stateselective manner. We provide the ion-optics design considerations and ion trajectory simulations for satisfying the VMI conditions. Furthermore, a delayed extraction scheme will be described which will be important in future state-selective dual-beam VMI studies, allowing the critical low background environments for these type of experiments.