Carbon monoxide interacting with free-electron-laser pulses

Abstract

Abstract We study the interaction of a heteronuclear diatomic molecule, carbon monoxide, with a free-electron laser (FEL) pulse. We compute the ion yields and the intermediate states by which the ion yields are populated. We do so using rate equations, computing all relevant molecular and atomic photo-ionisation cross-sections and Auger rates. We find that the charge distribution of the carbon and oxygen ion yields differ. By varying the photon energy, we demonstrate how to control higher-charged states being populated mostly by carbon or oxygen. Moreover, we identify the differences in the resulting ion yields and pathways populating these yields between a homonuclear molecule, molecular nitrogen, and a heteronuclear molecule, carbon monoxide, interacting with an FEL pulse. These two molecules have similar electronic structure. We also identify the proportion of each ion yield which accesses a two-site double-core-hole state and tailor pulse parameters to maximise this proportion.