This research, part of the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, is designed to measure the time evolution of intermediate states in the multiphoton ionization of molecules by monitoring the photoelectron spectrum of the intermediate molecular species. The detailed knowledge of the energy states that a molecule goes through during the process of multiphoton ionization will add to our knowledge of chemical dynamics and our overall understanding of the transition species involved in chemical reactions. The intermediate states, which are probed using a probe laser, result from multiphoton ionization of the starting species using suitable fast lasers. The resulting photoelectrons are energy analysed and monitored as a function of pump probe delay. These data yield the dynamic evolution of the intermediate state character and can be measured with a time resolution dependent upon the laser width (about 5 ps.). Interstate non-radiative transition, intramoleculear vibration redistribution and van der Waals molecule predissociation rates will be measured using the pump probe technique.
