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The electronic excitation occurring on adsorbates at ultrafast time scales from optical lasers that initiate surface chemical reactions is still an open question. Here, we report the ultrafast temporal evolution of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of a simple well known adsorbate prototype system, namely carbon (C) atoms adsorbed on a nickel (Ni(100)) surface, following intense laser optical pumping at 400 nm. We observe ultrafast (~100 fs) changes in both XAS and XES showing clear signatures of the formation of a hot electron-hole pair distribution on the adsorbate. This is followed by slower changes on a few ps time scale, shown to be consistent with thermalization of the complete C/Ni system. Density functional theory spectrum simulations support this interpretation., 33 pages, 12 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letters

The local electronic structure of the metal-active site and the deexcitation pathways of metalloporphyrins are crucial for numerous applications but difficult to access by commonly employed techniques. Here, we applied near-edge X-ray absorption mass spectrometry and quantum-mechanical restricted active space calculations to investigate the electronic structure of the metal-active site of the isolated cobalt(iii) protoporphyrin IX cation (CoPPIX+) and its deexcitation pathways upon resonant absorption at the cobalt L-edge. The experiments were carried out in the gas phase, thus allowing for control over the chemical state and molecular environment of the metalloporphyrin. The obtained mass spectra reveal that resonant excitations of CoPPIX+ at the cobalt L3-edge lead predominantly to the formation of the intact radical dication and doubly charged fragments through losses of charged and neutral side chains from the macrocycle. The comparison between experiment and theory shows that CoPPIX+ is in a 3A2g triplet ground state and that competing excitations to metal-centred non-bonding and antibonding σ* molecular orbitals lead to distinct deexcitation pathways., Near-edge X-ray absorption mass spectrometry (NEXAMS) and restricted active space (RAS) quantum mechanical calculations at the metal L-edge reveal the electronic structure and orbital-specific deexcitation pathways of gas-phase metalloporphyrins.

Extending nonlinear spectroscopic techniques into the x-ray domain promises unique insight into photoexcited charge dynamics, which are of fundamental and applied interest. We report on the observation of a third-order nonlinear process in lithium fluoride (LiF) at a free-electron laser. Exploring the yield of four-wave mixing (FWM) in resonance with transitions to strongly localized core exciton states versus delocalized Bloch states, we find resonant FWM to be a sensitive probe for the degree of charge localization: Substantial sum- and difference-frequency generation is observed exclusively when in a one- or three-photon resonance with a LiF core exciton, with a dipole forbidden transition affecting details of the nonlinear response. Our reflective geometry–based approach to detect FWM signals enables the study of a wide variety of condensed matter sample systems, provides atomic selectivity via resonant transitions, and can be easily scaled to shorter wavelengths at free-electron x-ray lasers.

The journal of chemical physics 157(16), 164705 (2022). doi:10.1063/5.0114399, We report on carbon monoxide desorption and oxidation induced by 400 nm femtosecond laser excitation on the O/Ru(0001) surface probed by time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy (TR-XAS) at the carbon K-edge. The experiments were performed under constant background pressures of CO (6 × 10$^{−8}$ Torr) and O$_2$ (3 × 10$^{−8}$ Torr). Under these conditions, we detect two transient CO species with narrow 2$π^*$ peaks, suggesting little 2π* interaction with the surface. Based on polarization measurements, we find that these two species have opposing orientations: (1) CO favoring a more perpendicular orientation and (2) CO favoring a more parallel orientation with respect to the surface. We also directly detect gas-phase CO2 using a mass spectrometer and observe weak signatures of bent adsorbed CO2 at slightly higher x-ray energies than the 2$π^*$ region. These results are compared to previously reported TR-XAS results at the O K-edge, where the CO background pressure was three times lower (2 × 10$^{−8}$ Torr) while maintaining the same O$_2$ pressure. At the lower CO pressure, in the CO 2$π^*$ region, we observed adsorbed CO and a distribution of OC–O bond lengths close to the CO oxidation transition state, with little indication of gas-like CO. The shift toward “gas-like” CO species may be explained by the higher CO exposure, which blocks O adsorption, decreasing O coverage and increasing CO coverage. These effects decrease the CO desorption barrier through dipole–dipole interaction while simultaneously increasing the CO oxidation barrier., Published by American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY

A new implementation for XAS measurements based on zone plates is presented. With a two-color scheme, several fluorescence yields can be probed simultaneously., X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful element-specific technique that allows the study of structural and chemical properties of matter. Often an indirect method is used to access the X-ray absorption (XA). This work demonstrates a new XAS implementation that is based on off-axis transmission Fresnel zone plates to obtain the XA spectrum of La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 by analysis of three emission lines simultaneously at the detector, namely the O 2p–1s, Mn 3s–2p and Mn 3d–2p transitions. This scheme allows the simultaneous measurement of an integrated total fluorescence yield and the partial fluorescence yields (PFY) of the Mn 3s–2p and Mn 3d–2p transitions when scanning the Mn L-edge. In addition to this, the reduction in O fluorescence provides another measure for absorption often referred to as the inverse partial fluorescence yield (IPFY). Among these different methods to measure XA, the Mn 3s PFY and IPFY deviate the least from the true XA spectra due to the negligible influence of selection rules on the decay channel. Other advantages of this new scheme are the potential to strongly increase the efficiency and throughput compared with similar measurements using conventional gratings and to increase the signal-to-noise of the XA spectra as compared with a photodiode. The ability to record undistorted bulk XA spectra at high flux is crucial for future in situ spectroscopy experiments on complex materials.

We report a survey of the magnetic properties of metal-organic complexes coupled to ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic surfaces. Using element-resolved X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we investigate the magnetism of single, double, and triple-decker phthalocyanines focusing on MnPc, TbPc2, and Tb2Pc3 deposited on Ni, Mn, and CoO thin films. Depending on the number of Pc ligands, we find that the metal ions within the molecules couple either parallel or antiparallel to a ferromagnetic substrate. Whereas single-decker complexes such as MnPc form a unique magnetic entity with ferromagnetic films, the intrinsic single molecule magnet properties of TbPc2 and Tb2Pc3 remain largely unaltered. TbPc2 deposited on perpendicularly magnetized Ni films exhibits enhanced magnetic stability compared to TbPc2 in molecular crystals, opposite to TbPc2 deposited on in-plane magnetized Ni. Depending on the competition between uniaxial anisotropy, superexchange, and Zeeman interaction, the magnetic moment of TbPc2 can be aligned parallel or antiparallel to that of the substrate by modulating the intensity of an external magnetic field. This occurs also for Tb2Pc3, but the substrate-induced exchange coupling in triple-decker molecules is found to be short-ranged, that is, limited to the Tb ion closer to the ferromagnetic surface. Finally, we discuss the conditions required to establish exchange bias between molecules and antiferromagnetic substrates. We show that TbPc2 deposited on antiferromagnetic Mn thin films exhibits both exchange bias and enhanced coercivity when field cooled parallel to the out-of-plane easy axis. However, exchange bias does not extend to all molecules on the surface. On oxide antiferromagnets such as CoO we find no evidence of exchange bias for either TbPc2 or MnPc., We received financial support from the European Research Council (StG 203239 NOMAD), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MAT2010-15659), the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2009 SGR 695), and the Swiss Competence Centre for Materials Science and Technology (CCMX).

Physical review letters 127(1), 016802 (2021). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.016802, We use a pump-probe scheme to measure the time evolution of the C K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum from CO/Ru(0001) after excitation by an ultrashort high-intensity optical laser pulse. Because of the short duration of the x-ray probe pulse and precise control of the pulse delay, the excitation-induced dynamics during the first picosecond after the pump can be resolved with unprecedented time resolution. By comparing with density functional theory spectrum calculations, we find high excitation of the internal stretch and frustrated rotation modes occurring within 200 fs of laser excitation, as well as thermalization of the system in the picosecond regime. The ���100 fs initial excitation of these CO vibrational modes is not readily rationalized by traditional theories of nonadiabatic coupling of adsorbates to metal surfaces, e.g., electronic frictions based on first order electron-phonon coupling or transient population of adsorbate resonances. We suggest that coupling of the adsorbate to nonthermalized electron-hole pairs is responsible for the ultrafast initial excitation of the modes., Published by APS, College Park, Md.

The transient dynamics of carbon monoxide (CO) molecules on a Ru(0001) surface following femtosecond optical laser pump excitation has been studied by monitoring changes in the unoccupied electronic structure using an ultrafast X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) probe. The particular symmetry of perpendicularly chemisorbed CO on the surface is exploited to investigate how the molecular orientation changes with time by varying the polarization of the FEL pulses. The time evolution of spectral features corresponding to the desorption precursor state was well distinguished due to the narrow line-width of the C K-edge in the X-ray absorption (XA) spectrum, illustrating that CO molecules in the precursor state rotated freely and resided on the surface for several picoseconds. Most of the CO molecules trapped in the precursor state ultimately cooled back down to the chemisorbed state, while we estimate that similar to 14.5 +/- 4.9% of the molecules in the precursor state desorbed into the gas phase. It was also observed that chemisorbed CO molecules diffused over the metal surface from on-top sites toward highly coordinated sites. In addition, a new "vibrationally hot precursor" state was identified in the polarization-dependent XA spectra.

Resonant inelastic X ray scattering RIXS is a promising method for elucidating detailed electronic structure of materials in a broad range of chemical and physical applications. Here, we use the fine fluorescence energy resolution of a RIXS spectrometer to obtain various proxies of the Mn L edge X ray absorption spectra XAS of the perovskite La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 LSMO as a model catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction OER and evaluate the suitability for in situ surface studies of this electrocatalyst. We conclude that the inverse partial fluorescence yield IPFY of the O 2p 1s transition and the partial fluorescence yield of the 3s 2p transition 3s PFY are most suitable for determining changes at the surface of the perovskite, because distortions at grazing incidence measurements are low. In particular, the negligible angular dependence of the 3s PFY spectra can be perfectly simulated using a fluorescence model in the thin sample limit which is justified by low reabsorption of 3s photons. Remarkably, the 3s PFY reveals an influence of water vapor on the electronic reconstruction of the LSMO surface. Thus, our work paves the road for quantitative distortion free X ray spectroscopy of transition metal oxide surfaces under in situ conditions, which is needed to understand fundamental chemical processes such as corrosion and catalysis

The impact of ligand substitution on metal-ligand covalency and the valence excited state landscape is investigated using resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering., Understanding and controlling properties of transition metal complexes is a crucial step towards tailoring materials for sustainable energy applications. In a systematic approach, we use resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to study the influence of ligand substitution on the valence electronic structure around an aqueous iron(ii) center. Exchanging cyanide with 2-2′-bipyridine ligands reshapes frontier orbitals in a way that reduces metal 3d charge delocalization onto the ligands. This net decrease of metal–ligand covalency results in lower metal-centered excited state energies in agreement with previously reported excited state dynamics. Furthermore, traces of solvent-effects were found indicating a varying interaction strength of the solvent with ligands of different character. Our results demonstrate how ligand exchange can be exploited to shape frontier orbitals of transition metal complexes in solution-phase chemistry; insights upon which future efforts can built when tailoring the functionality of photoactive systems for light-harvesting applications.

Optics letters 43(18), 4390 - 4393 (2018). doi:10.1364/OL.43.004390, X-ray spectroscopy is a method, ideally suited for investigating the electronic structure of matter, which has been enabled by the rapid developments in light sources and instruments. The x-ray fluorescence lines of life-relevant elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are located in the soft x-ray regime and call for suitable spectrometer devices. In this Letter, we present a high-resolution spectrum of liquid water, recorded with a soft x-ray spectrometer based on a reflection zone plate (RZP) design. The RZP-based spectrometer with meridional variation of line space density from 2953 to 3757 l/mm offers extremely high detection efficiency and, at the same time, medium energy resolution. We can reproduce the well-known splitting of liquid water in the lone pair regime with 10 s acquisition time., Published by OSA, Washington, DC

The Q2 prototypical photoinduced dissociation of Fe CO 5 in the gas phase is used to test time resolved x ray photoelectron spectroscopy for studying photochemical reactions. Upon one photon excitation at 266 nm, Fe CO 5 successively dissociates to Fe CO 4 and Fe CO 3 along a pathway where both fragments retain the singlet multiplicity of Fe CO 5. The x ray free electron laser FLASH is used to probe the reaction intermediates Fe CO 4 and Fe CO 3 with time resolved valence and core level photoelectron spectroscopy, and experimental results are interpreted with ab initio quantum chemical calculations. Changes in the valence photoelectron spectra are shown to reflect changes in the valenceorbital interactions upon Fe CO dissociation, thereby validating fundamental theoretical concepts in Fe CO bonding. Chemical shifts of CO 3 inner valence and Fe 3p core level binding energies are shown to correlate with changes in the coordination number of the Fe center. We interpret this with coordination dependent charge localization and core hole screening based on calculated changes in electron densities upon core hole creation in the final ionic states. This extends the established capabilities of steady state electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis to time resolved investigations. It could also serve as a benchmark for howcharge and spin density changes in molecular dissociation and excited state dynamics are expressed in valence and core level photoelectron spectroscopy

Chemistry - a European journal 24(30), 7631-7636 (2018). doi:10.1002/chem.201801440, Preservation of protein conformation upon transfer into the gas phase is key for structure determination of free single molecules, for example using X‐ray free‐electron lasers. In the gas phase, the helicity of melittin decreases strongly as the protein's protonation state increases. We demonstrate the sensitivity of soft X‐ray spectroscopy to the gas‐phase structure of melittin cations ([melittin+qH]q+, q=2–4) in a cryogenic linear radiofrequency ion trap. With increasing helicity, we observe a decrease of the dominating carbon 1 s–π* transition in the amide C=O bonds for non‐dissociative single ionization and an increase for non‐dissociative double ionization. As the underlying mechanism we identify inelastic electron scattering. Using an independent atom model, we show that the more compact nature of the helical protein conformation substantially increases the probability for off‐site intramolecular ionization by inelastic Auger electron scattering., Published by Wiley-VCH, Weinheim

The valence orbitals of aqueous histidine under basic, neutral and acidic conditions and their X-ray induced transformations have been monitored through N 1s resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. Using density functional ab initio molecular dynamics simulations in the core-hole state within the Z + 1 approximation, core-excitation-induced molecular transformations are quantified. Spectroscopic evidence for a highly directional X-ray-induced local N–H dissociation within the scattering duration is presented for acidic histidine. Our report demonstrates a protonation-state and chemical-environment dependent propensity for a molecular dissociation, which is induced by the absorption of high energy photons. This case study indicates that structural deformations in biomolecules under exposure to ionizing radiation, yielding possible alteration or loss of function, is highly dependent on the physiological state of the molecule upon irradiation.

Thermally driven chemistry as well as materials' functionality are determined by the potential energy surface of a systems electronic ground state. This makes the potential energy surface a central and powerful concept in physics, chemistry and materials science. However, direct experimental access to the potential energy surface locally around atomic centers and to its long-range structure are lacking. Here we demonstrate how sub-natural linewidth resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering at vibrational resolution is utilized to determine ground state potential energy surfaces locally and detect long-range changes of the potentials that are driven by local modifications. We show how the general concept is applicable not only to small isolated molecules such as O2 but also to strongly interacting systems such as the hydrogen bond network in liquid water. The weak perturbation to the potential energy surface through hydrogen bonding is observed as a trend towards softening of the ground state potential around the coordinating atom. The instrumental developments in high resolution resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering are currently accelerating and will enable broad application of the presented approach. With this multidimensional potential energy surfaces that characterize collective phenomena such as (bio)molecular function or high-temperature superconductivity will become accessible in near future.

We analyze the effects of covalent interactions in Ni 2p3d resonant inelastic X ray scattering RIXS spectra from aqueous Ni2 ions and find that the relative RIXS intensities of ligand to metal charge transfer final states with respect to the ligand field final states reflect the covalent mixing between Ni 3d and water orbitals. Specifically, the experimental intensity ratio at the Ni L3 edge allows to determine that the Ni 3d orbitals have on average 5.5 of water character. We propose that 2p3d RIXS at the Ni L3 edge can be utilized to quantify covalency in Ni complexes without the use of external references or simulations

The femtosecond excited-state dynamics following resonant photoexcitation enable the selective deformation of N-H and N-C chemical bonds in 2-thiopyridone in aqueous solution with optical or X-ray pulses. In combination with multiconfigurational quantum-chemical calculations, the orbital-specific electronic structure and its ultrafast dynamics accessed with resonant inelastic X-ray scattering at the N 1s level using synchrotron radiation and the soft X-ray free-electron laser LCLS provide direct evidence for this controlled photoinduced molecular deformation and its ultrashort time-scale., Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe; 1115

We prove the hitherto hypothesized sequential dissociation of Fe(CO)(5) in the gas phase upon photoexcitation at 266 nm via a singlet pathway with time-resolved valence and core-level photoelectron spectroscopy with an x-ray free-electron laser. Valence photoelectron spectra are used to identify free CO molecules and to determine the time constants of stepwise dissociation to Fe(CO)(4) within the temporal resolution of the experiment and further to Fe(CO)(3) within 3 ps. Fe 3p core-level photoelectron spectra directly reflect the singlet spin state of the Fe center in Fe(CO)(5), Fe(CO)(4), and Fe(CO)(3) showing that the dissociation exclusively occurs along a singlet pathway without triplet-state contribution. Our results are important for assessing intra- and intermolecular relaxation processes in the photodissociation dynamics of the prototypical Fe(CO)(5) complex in the gas phase and in solution, and they establish time-resolved core-level photoelectron spectroscopy as a powerful tool for determining the multiplicity of transition metals in photochemical reactions of coordination complexes. Published by AIP Publishing.

Thermally driven chemistry as well as materials’ functionality are determined by the potential energy surface of a systems electronic ground state. This makes the potential energy surface a central and powerful concept in physics, chemistry and materials science. However, direct experimental access to the potential energy surface locally around atomic centers and to its long-range structure are lacking. Here we demonstrate how sub-natural linewidth resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering at vibrational resolution is utilized to determine ground state potential energy surfaces locally and detect long-range changes of the potentials that are driven by local modifications. We show how the general concept is applicable not only to small isolated molecules such as O2 but also to strongly interacting systems such as the hydrogen bond network in liquid water. The weak perturbation to the potential energy surface through hydrogen bonding is observed as a trend towards softening of the ground state potential around the coordinating atom. The instrumental developments in high resolution resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering are currently accelerating and will enable broad application of the presented approach. With this multidimensional potential energy surfaces that characterize collective phenomena such as (bio)molecular function or high-temperature superconductivity will become accessible in near future.

The valence excited states of ferric and ferrous hexacyanide ions in aqueous solution were mapped by resonant inelastic X ray scattering RIXS at the Fe L2,3 and N K edges. Probing of both the central Fe and the ligand N atoms enabled identification of the metal and ligand centered excited states, as well as ligand to metal and metal to ligand charge transfer excited states. Ab initio calculations utilizing the RASPT2 method were used to simulate the Fe L2,3 edge RIXS spectra and enabled quantification of the covalencies of both occupied and empty orbitals of amp; 960; and amp; 963; symmetry. We found that amp; 960; back donation in the ferric complex is smaller than that in the ferrous complex. This is evidenced by the relative amounts of Fe 3d character in the nominally 2 amp; 960; CN amp; 8722; molecular orbital of 7 and 9 in ferric and ferrous hexacyanide, respectively. Utilizing the direct sensitivity of Fe L3 edge RIXS to the Fe 3d character in the occupied molecular orbitals, we also found that the donation interactions are dominated by amp; 963; bonding. The latter was found to be stronger in the ferric complex, with an Fe 3d contribution to the nominally 5 amp; 963; CN amp; 8722; molecular orbitals of 29 compared to 20 in the ferrous complex. These results are consistent with the notion that a higher charge at the central metal atom increases donation and decreases back donation

The speciation of 2-Mercaptopyridine in aqueous solution has been investigated with nitrogen 1s Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy and time dependent Density Functional Theory. The prevalence of distinct species as a function of the solvent basicity is established. No indications of dimerization towards high concentrations are found. The determination of different molecular structures of 2-Mercaptopyridine in aqueous solution is put into the context of proton-transfer in keto-enol and thione-thiol tautomerisms. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Liquid water molecules interact strongly with each other, forming a fluctuating hydrogen bond network and thereby giving rise to the anomalous phase diagram of liquid water. Consequently, symmetric and asymmetric water molecules have been found in the picosecond time average with IR and optical Raman spectroscopy. With subnatural linewidth resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at vibrational resolution, we take sub-femtosecond snapshots of the electronic and structural properties of water molecules in the hydrogen bond network. We derive a strong dominance of nonsymmetric molecules in liquid water in contrast to the gas phase on the sub-femtosecond timescale of RIXS and determine the fraction of highly asymmetrically distorted molecules.

In resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering (RIXS) from molecular and liquid systems, the interplay of ground state structural and core-excited state dynamical contributions leads to complex spectral shapes that partially allow for ambiguous interpretations. In this work, we dissect these contributions in oxygen K-edge RIXS from liquid alcohols. We use the scattering into the electronic ground state as an accurate measure of nuclear dynamics in the intermediate core-excited state of the RIXS process. We determine the characteristic time in the core-excited state until nuclear dynamics give a measurable contribution to the RIXS spectral profiles to tau(dyn) = 1.2 +/- 0.8 fs. By detuning the excitation energy below the absorption resonance we reduce the effective scattering time below sdyn, and hence suppress these dynamical contributions to a minimum. From the corresponding RIXS spectra of liquid methanol, we retrieve the "dynamic-free" density of states and find that it is described solely by the electronic states of the free methanol molecule. From this and from the comparison of normal and deuterated methanol, we conclude that the split peak structure found in the lone-pair emission region at non-resonant excitation originates from dynamics in the O-H bond in the core-excited state. We find no evidence that this split peak feature is a signature of distinct ground state structural complexes in liquid methanol. However, we demonstrate how changes in the hydrogen bond coordination within the series of linear alcohols from methanol to hexanol affect the split peak structure in the liquid alcohols. (C) 2014 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Total and partial fluorescence yield (PFY) $L$-edge x-ray absorption spectra differ from the transmission x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) through state-dependent fluorescence yield across the XAS. For $3{d}^{1}$ to $3{d}^{9}$ in octahedral symmetry we apply simulations of PFY and XAS and show how the atomic $2p3d$ Coulomb exchange parameter ${G}_{pd}$ governs the differences in the ${L}_{3}/({L}_{2}+{L}_{3}$) branching ratio between PFY and XAS. ${G}_{pd}$ orders the XAS final states following Hund's rules creating a strong state-dependent fluorescence decay strength variation across the XAS leading to the differences between PFY and XAS.

Electron-phonon scattering has been studied for silicon carbide (6H-SiC) with resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the silicon 2p edge. The observed electron-phonon scattering yields a crystal momentum transfer rate per average phonon in 6H-SiC of 1.8 fs(-1) while it is 0.2 fs(-1) in crystalline silicon. The angular momentum transfer rate per average phonon for 6H-SiC is 0.1 fs(-1), which is much higher than 0.0035 fs(-1) obtained for crystalline silicon in a previous study. The higher electron-phonon scattering rates in 6H-SiC are a result of the larger electron localization at the silicon atoms in 6H-SiC as compared to crystalline silicon. While delocalized valence electrons can screen effectively (part of) the electron-phonon interaction, this effect is suppressed for 6H-SiC in comparison to crystalline silicon. Smaller contributions to the difference in electron-phonon scattering rates between 6H-SiC and silicon arise from the lower atomic mass of carbon versus silicon and the difference in local symmetry.

The band gap of semiconductors like silicon and silicon carbide (SIC) is the key for their device properties. In this research, the band gap of 6H-SiC and its temperature dependence were analyzed with silicon 2p X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) allowing for a separate analysis of the conduction-band minimum (CBM) and valence-band maximum (VBM) components of the band gap. The temperature-dependent asymmetric band gap shrinking of 6H-SiC was determined with a valence-band slope of +2.45 x 10(-4) eV/K and a conduction-band slope of -1.334 x 10(-4) eV/K. The apparent asymmetry, e.g., that two thirds of the band-gap shrinking with increasing temperature is due to the VBM evolution in 6H-SiC, is similar to the asymmetry obtained for pure silicon before. The overall band gap temperature-dependence determined with XAS and nonresonant XES is compared to temperature-dependent optical studies. The core-excitonic binding energy appearing in the Si 2p XAS is extracted as the main difference. In addition, the energy loss of the onset of the first band in RIXS yields to values similar to the optical band gap over the tested temperature range. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bonding of the Ni$^{2+}$(aq) complex is investigated with an unprecedented combination of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements and ab initio calculations at the Ni L absorption edge. The spectra directly reflect the relative energies of the ligand-field and charge-transfer valence-excited states. They give element-specific access with atomic resolution to the ground-state electronic structure of the complex and allow quantification of ligand-field strength and 3d–3d electron correlation interactions in the Ni$^{2+}$(aq) complex. The experimentally determined ligand-field strength is 10Dq = 1.1 eV. This and the Racah parameters characterizing 3d–3d Coulomb interactions B = 0.13 eV and C = 0.42 eV as readily derived from the measured energies match very well with the results from UV–vis spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate how L-edge RIXS can be used to complement existing spectroscopic tools for the investigation of bonding in 3d transition-metal coordination compounds in solution. The ab initio RASPT2 calculation is successfully used to simulate the L-edge RIXS spectra.

We investigate the interaction of TbPc(2) single molecule magnets (SMMs) with ferromagnetic Ni substrates. Using element-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we show that TbPc(2) couples antiferromagnetically to Ni films through ligand-mediated superexchange. This coupling is strongly anisotropic and can be manipulated by doping the interface with electron acceptor or donor atoms. We observe that the relative orientation of the substrate and molecule anisotropy axes critically affects the SMM magnetic behavior. TbPc(2) complexes deposited on perpendicularly magnetized Ni films exhibit enhanced magnetic remanence compared to SMMs in the bulk. Contrary to paramagnetic molecules pinned to a ferromagnetic support layer, we find that TbPc(2) can be magnetized parallel or antiparallel to the substrate, opening the possibility to exploit SMMs in spin valve devices.

On-lattice Monte Carlo simulations of colloidal random-stacking hard-sphere colloidal crystals are presented. The model yields close-packed crystals with random-stacking hexagonal structure. We find a significant amount of in-plane stacking disorder, which slowly anneals in the course of the simulation. The in-plane stacking disorder leads to lateral broadening of the stacking-disorder-induced Bragg rods. It is found that not only the scattering intensity, but also the width is modulated along the Bragg rods.

Die Femtosekundendynamik nach resonanten Photoanregungen mit optischen und Röntgenpulsen ermöglicht eine selektive Verformung von chemischen N‐H‐ und N‐C‐Bindungen in 2‐Thiopyridon in wässriger Lösung. Die Untersuchung der orbitalspezifischen elektronischen Struktur und ihrer Dynamik auf ultrakurzen Zeitskalen mit resonanter inelastischer Röntgenstreuung an der N1s‐Resonanz am Synchrotron und dem Freie‐Elektronen‐Laser LCLS in Kombination mit quantenchemischen Multikonfigurationsberechnungen erbringen den direkten Nachweis dieser kontrollierten photoinduzierten Molekülverformungen und ihrer ultrakurzen Zeitskala., Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe; 1121

Microscopy and microanalysis 24(S2), 182 - 183 (2018). doi:10.1017/S1431927618013260, Published by Cambridge University Press, New York, NY