Ultrafast dissociative ionization and large-amplitude vibrational wave packet dynamics of strong-field-ionized di-iodomethane

We employ few-cycle pulses to strong-field-ionize di-iodomethane (CH2I2) and femtosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy to investigate the subsequent ultrafast dissociative ionization and vibrational wave packet dynamics. Probing in the spectral region of the I 4d core-level transitions, the time-resolved XUV differential absorption spectra reveal the population of several electronic states of CH2I2+ by strong-field ionization. Global analysis reveals three distinct time scales for the observed dynamics: 20 ± 2 fs, 49 ± 6 fs, and 157 ± 9 fs, ascribed to relaxation of the CH2I2+ parent ion from the Franck-Condon region, dissociation of high-lying excited states of CH2I2+ to I+ (3P2), CH2I, and I2+ (2Π3/2,g), and dissociation of CH2I2+ to I (2P3/2) and CH2I+, respectively. Oscillatory features in the time-resolved XUV differential absorption spectra point to the generation of vibrational wave packets in both the residual CH2I2 and the CH2I2+ parent ion. Analysis of the oscillation frequencies and phases reveals, in the case of neutral CH2I2, C–I symmetric stretching induced by bond softening and I–C–I bending driven by a combination of bond softening and R-selective depletion. In the case of CH2I2+, both the fundamental and first overtone frequencies of the I–C–I bending mode are observed, indicating large-amplitude I–C–I bending motion, in good agreement with results obtained from ab initio simulations of the XUV transition energy along the I–C–I bend coordinate. These results show that femtosecond XUV absorption spectroscopy is well-suited for studying ultrafast photodissociation and vibrational wave packet dynamics.