title: Charge transfer to solvent dynamics in iodide aqueous solution studied at ionization threshold.
abstract: We explore the early-time electronic relaxation in NaI aqueous solution exposed to a short UV laser pulse. Rather than initiating the charge transfer reaction by resonant photoexcitation of iodide, in the present time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy study the charge-transfer-to-solvent (CTTS) states are populated via electronic excitation above the vacuum level. By analyzing the temporal evolution of electron yields from ionization of two transient species, assigned to CTTS and its first excited state, we determine both their ultrafast population and relaxation dynamics. Comparison with resonant-excitation studies shows that the highly excited initial states exhibit similar relaxation characteristics as found for resonant excitation. Implications for structure and dynamical response of the hydration cage are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Joint Laboratory for Ultrafast Dynamics in Solutions and at Interfaces (JULiq), Institute of Methods for Material Development, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany. igor.kiyan@helmholtz-berlin.de emad.aziz@helmholtz-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kothe
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilke
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moguilevski
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: Igor Yu
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Kiyan
authors.forename: Emad F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Aziz
mesh_terms: D007454:Iodides / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions; D011789:Quantum Theory; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007454:Iodides; D007477:Ions; D012997:Solvents; D014867:Water