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Abstract Filming atomic motion within molecules is an active pursuit of molecular physics and quantum chemistry. A promising method is laser-induced Coulomb Explosion Imaging (CEI) where a laser pulse rapidly ionizes many electrons from a molecule, causing the remaining ions to undergo Coulomb repulsion. The ion momenta are used to reconstruct the molecular geometry which is tracked over time (i.e., filmed) by ionizing at an adjustable delay with respect to the start of interatomic motion. Results are distorted, however, by ultrafast motion during the ionizing pulse. We studied this effect in water and filmed the rapid “slingshot” motion that enhances ionization and distorts CEI results. Our investigation uncovered both the geometry and mechanism of the enhancement which may inform CEI experiments in many other polyatomic molecules.

Coincidence experiments at free-electron lasers enable time resolved site-specific investigations of molecular photochemistry at high signal rates, but isolating individual dissociation processes still poses a considerable technical challenge. Here, the authors use electron-ion partial covariance imaging to isolate otherwise elusive chemical shifts in UV-induced photofragmentation pathways of the prototypical chiral molecule 1-iodo-2-methylbutane.