A PENETRATING FIELD ELECTRON-ION COINCIDENCE SPECTROMETER FOR USE IN PHOTOIONIZATION STUDIES

A versatile electron-ion coincidence spectrometer for photoionization studies is described. The spectrometer incorporates a 127-degrees cylindrical electrostatic energy analyser and a time-of-flight energy analyser. The two analysers are mounted on a turntable that can be rotated with respect to the polarization axis of the photon beam. Both analysers have a penetrating field stage which provides very high detection efficiency over a large solid angle and excellent threshold energy resolution (approximately 3 meV) for the detection of charged particles. The analysers can also detect energetic particles. The time-of-flight analyser is used specifically for the separation and detection of different charge states of molecular photodissociation products. The use of the spectrometer to observe photoelectron-photo-ion coincidences and photoelectron-photoelectron coincidences in a variety of experiments (TPEPICO, PEPICO, TPEPECO) is illustrated by a study of the photo-double ionization of argon and of the dissociation products from the v = 0 level of the c state of oxygen at 24.56 eV. Additionally, a spectrum of coincidences between threshold photoelectrons (TPESCO) is presented in the region of the 3P double ionization potential of argon.