Direct experimental evidence for dissociative photoionization of oxygen molecule via 2Σ(u)(-) ionic "optical dark" state.

: Direct experimental evidence for dissociative photoionization of oxygen molecule via the (2)Σ(u)(-) ionic optical dark state is presented by an investigation using the method of threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) velocity imaging. Besides vibrational progress of the B(2)Σ(g)(-) state, several weak vibrational bands of the (2)Σ(u)(-) ionic optical dark state are observed concomitantly in an excitation energy range of 20.2-21.1 eV. Only O(+) fragments are detected in the whole excitation energy range; therefore, all vibrational bands are completely predissociative. TPEPICO three-dimensional time-sliced velocity images of O(+) fragments dissociated from vibrational state-selected O(2)(+)((2)Σ(u)(-),v(+)) ions are recorded. For the (2)Σ(u)(-)(v(+)=0-3) vibrational states, only the lowest dissociation channel of O(+)((4)S) + O((3)P) is observed. Once the photon energy is slightly increased to the (2)Σ(u)(-)(v(+)=4) level, a new concentric doughnut appears in the image, indicating that the second dissociation channel of O(+)((4)S) + O((1)D) is identified indeed. With the aid of potential energy curves, the dissociative mechanism of O(2)(+) in the (2)Σ(u)(-)(v(+)) state is proposed.