Bonn 2025 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 25: X-ray Spectroscopy
MO 25.1: Invited Talk
Thursday, March 13, 2025, 14:30–15:00, HS XVI
In good neighborhood: Suppression of radiation damage to X-ray-ionized molecules by intermolecular decay — •Andreas Hans1, Dana Bloß1, Madhusree Roy Chowdhury1, Catmarna Küstner-Wetekam1, Florian Trinter2, Alexander Kuleff3, Lorenz S. Cederbaum3, and Arno Ehresmann1 — 1Universität Kassel, Kassel, Germany — 2Fritz-Haber-Institut, Berlin, Germany — 3Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
The exploration of the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter is the basis of many application-related questions. In isolated small organic molecules, the deposition of energy by X-rays usually triggers complete or partial disintegration. In the transition to realistic scenarios, it is crucial how the behavior of molecules changes when they have neighbors, like in an aqueous environment. Intermolecular decays can release large amounts of energy efficiently and directly into the environment. We demonstrate that energy can already be efficiently dissipated by intermolecular Coulombic decay of electronic core vacancies. This leads to a decisive change in the dissociation dynamics of a molecule. While the dissipation of energy to the environment generally is protective for the molecule, the reverse effect can also occur, in which energy absorbed by the water leads to the ionization of a solvated molecule.
Keywords: Microsolvated molecules; Radation damage; Intermolecular Coulombic Decay