Disentangling Multichannel Photodissociation Dynamics in Acetone by Time-Resolved Photoelectron-Photoion Coincidence Spectroscopy

For the investigation of photoinduced dynamics in molecules with time-resolved pump–probe photoionization spectroscopy, it is essential to obtain unequivocal information about the fragmentation behavior induced by the laser pulses. We present time-resolved photoelectron–photoion coincidence (PEPICO) experiments to investigate the excited-state dynamics of isolated acetone molecules triggered by two-photon (269 nm) excitation. In the complex situation of different relaxation pathways, we unambiguously identify three distinct pump–probe ionization channels. The high selectivity of PEPICO detection allows us to observe the fragmentation behavior and to follow the time evolution of each channel separately. For channels leading to fragment ions, we quantitatively obtain the fragment-to-parent branching ratio and are able to determine experimentally whether dissociation occurs in the neutral molecule or in the parent ion. These results highlight the importance of coincidence detection for the interpretation of time-resolved photochemical relaxation and dissociation studies if multiple pathways are present.