We explore the UV photofragmentation dynamics of acetaldehyde cation in our latest paper published in PCCP. Single-photon VUV ionization was used to prepare cold acetaldehyde cations that are subsequently excited (and fragmented) by UV radiation. The photochemistry is surprisingly rich; we use velocity-map ion imaging to characterize four different photofragmentation channels across a broad range of wavelengths. The experiments are supported by complementary ab initio calculations. The article will appear in a special themed issue of PCCP on Photodissociation and Reaction Dynamics that will be published to celebrate the 65th birthday of former University of Bristol colleague Prof. Mike Ashfold.

You can read the paper here: 10.1039/c8cp06640j