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X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) at the Cl and S K edge and molybdenum (Mo) L edge are calculated at the TDDFT level for a series of dioxomolybdenum complexes LMoO2X (L = hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate, X = Cl, SCH2Ph, OPh), which play an important role in modeling the catalytic cycle of the sulfite oxidase enzyme.

The experimental and theoretical work that presents a reliable assignment for the core excitation processes in the ozone molecule in the whole spectral range is reported. The very low O2 contamination of the ozone sample allowed new features to be clearly observed in the high-energy spectral region.

The present work concerns the studyof high-energy structures inthe photoionization of Mg and Be metallocenes due to photoelectrondiffraction. The influence of geometrical structure is studied byvarying the metal–ring distance in MgCp2, as wellas that in the permethylated compounds MgCp2*and BeCp2*. The cross section ratios relative tothe two outermost valence ionizations have been studied and foundto be very sensitive to the value of the metal–ring distanceand to be able to resolve ambiguities in present experimental values.Further differences are attributed to minor changes in the electronicstructure. The results confirm that long-range oscillations in molecularphotoemission cross sections constitute a general phenomenon and arean easily measurable observable that can be used to obtain importantinformation on the geometric and electronic structure of the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developments of the open-source OpenMolcas chemistry software environment since spring 2020 are described, with a focus on novel functionalities accessible in the stable branch of the package or via interfaces with other packages. These developments span a wide range of topics in computational chemistry and are presented in thematic sections: electronic structure theory, electronic spectroscopy simulations, analytic gradients and molecular structure optimizations, ab initio molecular dynamics, and other new features. This report offers an overview of the chemical phenomena and processes OpenMolcas can address, while showing that OpenMolcas is an attractive platform for state-of-the-art atomistic computer simulations.

The photochemically induced ring-opening isomerization reaction of 1,3-cyclohexadiene to 1,3,5-hexatriene is a textbook example of a pericyclic reaction and has been amply investigated with advanced spectroscopic techniques. The main open question has been the identification of the single reactive state which drives the process. The generally accepted description of the isomerization pathway starts with a valence excitation to the lowest lying bright state, followed by a passage through a conical intersection to the lowest lying doubly excited state, and finally a branching between either the return to the ground state of the cyclic molecule or the actual ring-opening reaction leading to the open-chain isomer. Here, in a joint experimental and computational effort, we demonstrate that the evolution of the excitation-deexcitation process is much more complex than that usually described. In particular, we show that an initially high-lying electronic state smoothly decreasing in energy along the reaction path plays a key role in the ring-opening reaction.

A highly correlated combination of the equation-of-motion coupled cluster (EOM-CC) Dyson orbital and the multicentric B-spline time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-based approach is proposed and implemented within the single-channel approximation to describe molecular photoionization processes. The twofold objective of the approach is to capture interchannel coupling effects, missing in the B-spline DFT treatment, and to explore the response of Dyson orbitals to strong correlation effects and its influence on the photoionization observables. We validate our scheme by computing partial cross sections, branching ratios, asymmetry parameters, and molecular frame photoelectron angular distributions of simple molecules. Finally, the method has been applied to the study of photoelectron spectra of the Ni(C 3 H 5 ) 2 molecule, where giant correlation effects completely destroy the Koopmans picture.

A computational protocol for simulating time-resolved photoelectron signals of medium-sized molecules is presented. The procedure is based on a trajectory surface-hopping description of the excited-state dynamics and a combined Dyson orbital and multicenter B-spline approach for the computation of cross sections and asymmetry parameters. The accuracy of the procedure has been illustrated for the case of ultrafast internal conversion of gas-phase pyrazine excited to the 1 B 2 u (ππ*) state. The simulated spectra and the asymmetry map are compared to the experimental data, and a very good agreement was obtained without applying any energy-dependent rescaling or broadening. An interesting side result of this work is the finding that the signature of the 1 A u ( n π*) state is indistinguishable from that of the 1 B 3 u ( n π*) state in the time-resolved photoelectron spectrum. By locating four symmetrically equivalent minima on the lowest-excited (S 1 ) adiabatic potential energy surface of pyrazine, we revealed the strong vibronic coupling of the 1 A u ( n π*) and 1 B 3 u ( n π*) states near the S 1 ← S 0 band origin.

The photoionization dynamics of OsO 4 and RuO 4 , chosen as model systems of small-size mononuclear heavy-metal complexes, has been theoretically studied by the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Accurate experimental measurements of photoionization dynamics as a benchmarking test for the theory are reported for the photoelectron asymmetry parameters of outer valence ionizations of OsO 4 , measured in the 17-90 eV photon energy range. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The observed dynamical behavior of partial cross sections and asymmetry parameters has been related to both the coupling to the continuum of discrete excited states, giving strong modulations in the photon energy dependency, and the atomic composition of the initial ionized states, which determines the rate of decay of ionization probability for increasing excitation energies. Overall, an extensive analysis of the photoionization dynamics for valence and core orbitals is presented, showing good agreement with all the available experimental data. This provides confidence for the validity of the TDDFT approach in describing photoionization of heavy transition element compounds, with the perspective of being used for larger systems. Further experimental work is suggested for RuO 4 to gather evidence of the sensitivity of the theoretical method to the nature of the metal atom.

Calculations of the photoionization cross section and asymmetry parameter, β, are performed at the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) levels for all 32 valence levels of C 60 . Accurate numerical results are obtained for the isolated molecule in icosahedral symmetry. A detailed analysis based on the comparison between the DFT and TDDFT results allows the identification of four types of resonances: the well-known confinement resonances of mainly geometrical origin, shape resonances native to the ionization channel, induced shape resonances, and autoionization resonances brought about by interchannel coupling, as well as their different prominence in cross section or asymmetry parameter. Generally, cross sections are enhanced at the TDDFT level, which includes contribution from the bound-state excitations from closed channels, neglected at the DFT level, and the effect persists even well above the highest ionization threshold. This effect is best seen in the total cross section, although not as dramatic as found from simpler models, probably due to the stiffer electronic structure inherent in the full molecular description. The effects of interchannel coupling on individual native resonances are rather less predictable, leading to both enhancement and decreases and often altering the details of the structure significantly. A comparison with the previous accurate total cross-sectional calculations, as well as with the available experimental data, is very good for cross sections but slightly inferior for β's. The results reported can serve as a reference to compare the effects of different environments on C 60 , as well as chemical substitution, notably endohedral fullerenes.

We demonstrate that the possibility of monitoring relative photoionization cross sections over a large photon energy range allows us to study and disentangle shake processes and intramolecular inelastic scattering effects. In this gas-phase study, relative intensities of the carbon 1s photoelectron lines from chemically inequivalent carbon atoms in the same molecule have been measured as a function of the incident photon energy in the range of 300-6000 eV. We present relative cross sections for the chemically shifted carbon 1s lines in the photoelectron spectra of ethyl trifluoroacetate (the "ESCA" molecule). The results are compared with those of methyl trifluoroacetate and S -ethyl trifluorothioacetate as well as a series of chloro-substituted ethanes and 2-butyne. In the soft X-ray energy range, the cross sections show an extended X-ray absorption fine structure type of wiggles, as was previously observed for a series of chloroethanes. The oscillations are damped in the hard X-ray energy range, but deviations of cross-section ratios from stoichiometry persist, even at high energies. The current findings are supported by theoretical calculations based on a multiple scattering model. The use of soft and tender X-rays provides a more complete picture of the dominant processes accompanying photoionization. Such processes reduce the main photoelectron line intensities by 20-60%. Using both energy ranges enabled us to discern the process of intramolecular inelastic scattering of the outgoing electron, whose significance is otherwise difficult to assess for isolated molecules. This effect relates to the notion of the inelastic mean free path commonly used in photoemission studies of clusters and condensed matter.

Recent thorough experimental activity aiming to generate high harmonics in the SF 6 molecules requires the knowledge of, on one hand, accurate valence-shell photoionization cross sections and phases, from a threshold up to a few tens of eV, where resonances are likely to appear, and, on the other hand, the effect of the nuclear vibrational dynamics on the process. In this work, we have experimentally determined and theoretically evaluated vibrationally resolved photoionization cross sections of SF 6 up to 80 eV photon energies, with an emphasis on the E 2 T 1u channel, for which vibrational progressions are fully resolved in the experiment. Our results reveal the presence of shape resonances due to excitation to SF 6 virtual states lying just above the ionization threshold, in agreement with previous synchrotron radiation work and theoretical calculations. More interestingly, our calculations also disclose resonance features at photoelectron energies as high as 40-50 eV, which are due to the transient confinement of the ejected electron in the octahedral cage formed by the peripheral F atoms. In the vicinity of all resonances, including those due to confinement, the calculated ionization phases experience an excursion of about π or π/2 and significantly depend on the final vibrational state of the remaining cation. Both effects should be taken into account to correctly interpret ongoing high-harmonic generation work in SF 6 . A similar behavior is expected for other symmetric molecules containing a central atom, such as BF 3 , CF 4 , and the like.

Here, we present an ab initio approach to full simulation of an attosecond molecular pump-probe experiment. Sequential molecular double ionization by the pump and probe laser pulses with controlled delay is described from first-principles with a full account of the continuum dynamics of the photoelectrons. Many-electron bound-continuum dynamics is simulated using the time-dependent (TD) molecular B-spline algebraic diagrammatic construction (ADC) method. Our calculations give a quantitative prediction about the creation of a coherent superposition of molecular ionic states in the photoionization process and simulate the probe of the ensuing attosecond dynamics by a second ionizing pulse within a single first-principles many-electron framework. We therefore demonstrate the capability to simulate and interpret the results of a prototypical molecular pump-probe experiment of interest in attoscience. As a particular example, we simulate and elucidate the interpretation of a pump-probe experiment in CO 2 aimed at measuring strong field-induced hole dynamics via photoionization yields.

Attosecond pump-probe experiments performed in small molecules have allowed tracking charge dynamics in the natural time scale of electron motion. That this is also possible in biologically relevant molecules is still a matter of debate, because the large number of available nuclear degrees of freedom might destroy the coherent charge dynamics induced by the attosecond pulse. Here we investigate extreme ultraviolet-induced charge dynamics in the amino acid tryptophan. We find that, although nuclear motion and nonadiabatic effects introduce some decoherence in the moving electron wave packet, these do not significantly modify the coherence induced by the attosecond pulse during the early stages of the dynamics, at least for molecules in their equilibrium geometry. Our conclusions are based on elaborate theoretical calculations and the experimental observation of sub-4 fs dynamics, which can only be reasonably assigned to electronic motion. Hence, attosecond pump-probe spectroscopy appears as a promising approach to induce and image charge dynamics in complex molecules.

We describe, in detail, a basis set approach to the multichannel scattering problem. The full set of linearly independent scattering states at each prefixed energy of the continuum spectrum can be obtained via a least-squares approach. To test the algorithm in a concrete setup, we report a parallel implementation of the close-coupling method in which the final states are treated within the configuration-interaction singles (CIS) approximation. The method requires, as input, a set of orthonormal orbitals, obtained from any quantum chemistry package. A one-center expansion (OCE) basis set consisting of products of radial B-splines and symmetry adapted angular functions is then used to expand the continuum electron wave function. To assess the quality of the CIS approximation, we compute total and partial cross sections and angular asymmetry parameters for the photoionization of a selection of closed-shell atoms (He, Ne, and Ar), H 2 , H 2 O, and ethylene. Results are compared with the experimental data and with theoretical predictions obtained with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). It is seen that, generally, the photoionization observables obtained at the CIS level compare well with TDDFT predictions. The same basis can be employed to describe molecular multiphoton or strong field ionization.

Photoelectron diffraction is a well-established technique for structural characterization of solids, based on the interference of the native photoelectron wave with those scattered from the neighboring atoms. For isolated systems in the gas phase similar studies suffer from orders of magnitude lower signals due to the very small sample density. Here we present a detailed study of the vibrationally resolved B 1s photoionization cross section of BF3 molecule. A combination of high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and of state-of-the-art static-exchange and time-dependent DFT calculations shows the evolution of the photon energy dependence of the cross section from a complete trapping of the photoelectron wave (low energies) to oscillations due to photoelectron diffraction phenomena. The diffraction pattern allows one to access structural information both for the ground neutral state of the molecule and for the core-ionized cation. Due to a significant change in geometry between the ground and the B 1s(-1) core-ionized state in the BF3 molecule, several vibrational final states of the cation are populated, allowing investigation of eight different relative vibrationally resolved photoionization cross sections. Effects due to recoil induced by the photoelectron emission are also discussed.