Alternative Pathway to Double-Core-Hole States

: Ismail Iyas, Ferté Anthony, Penent Francis, Guillemin Renaud, Peng Dawei, Marchenko Tatiana, Travnikova Oksana, Inhester Ludger, Taïeb Richard, Verma Abhishek, Velasquez Nicolas, Kukk Edwin, Trinter Florian, Koulentianos Dimitris, Mazza Tommaso, Baumann Thomas M., Rivas Daniel E., Ovcharenko Yevheniy, Boll Rebecca, Dold Simon, De Fanis Alberto, Ilchen Markus, Meyer Michael, Goldsztejn Gildas, Li Kai, Doumy Gilles, Young Linda, Sansone Giuseppe, Dörner Reinhard, Piancastelli Maria Novella, Carniato Stéphane, Bozek John D., Püttner Ralph, Simon Marc

Publisher: American Physical Society

: 2023

: Physical Review Letters

: Phys. Rev. Lett.

: PHYS REV LETT

: 253201

: 131

: 25

: 1079-7114

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.253201

: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.253201

: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-000E-20BE-8

Excited double-core-hole states of isolated water molecules resulting from the sequential absorption of two x-ray photons have been investigated. These states are formed through an alternative pathway, where the initial step of core ionization is accompanied by the shake-up of a valence electron, leading to the same final states as in the core-ionization followed by core-excitation pathway. The capability of the x-ray free-electron laser to deliver very intense, very short, and tunable light pulses is fully exploited to identify the two different pathways.