Our latest paper, exploring the photochemistry of acetaldehyde to form CH3 + HCO across a broad range of wavelengths, has been published in PCCP. We used a combination of time-resolved ion imaging, with nanosecond and picosecond pulsed lasers, and photofragment excitation action spectroscopy to identify three distinct dissociation mechanisms. At long wavelengths, dissociation occurs statistically on the S0 surface after many tens of nanoseconds. Dissociation at intermediate wavelengths is dominated by relatively fast dissociation on the T1 surface, leading to fast-moving CH3 radicals. At short wavelengths, a new pathway opens that is assigned to dissociation on the S0 surface, accessed via a conical intersection.
The article can be accessed here: 10.1039/c7cp02573d
This article was selected as part of the 2017 PCCP HOT Articles themed collection.