Femtochemistry illuminated with novel VUV light sources

Experimental investigations on the electronic structure of matter routinely profit from continuous advances in laser and synchrotron radiation instrumentation. At the Elettra synchrotron radiation laboratory (Trieste, I) the Gas Phase beamline [1] currently enables thorough studies of the energetics of isolated system by means of photoionization techniques and inner-shell electron photoionization, even with low density targets such as molecular vapours [2] or clusters [3]. But more recently the interest of the physical chemistry-chemical physics community has been attracted by the opportunity of exploring the temporal dynamics of isolated systems by means of novel state-of-the-art light sources, such as fs-VUV sources based on laser high harmonic generation [4] or free electron lasers [5, 6]. I will thus outline research opportunities opened in the field of atomic and molecular physics by these novel ultrafast light sources at Elettra, Trieste. In particular I will discuss recent pump-probe experiments, which on one side are used for characterizing our novel VUV light sources [4, 6,7], and on the other side are also paving the way for thorough investigations of molecular excited states dynamics and femtochemistry application of ultrafast VUV radiation. References [1] K.C. Prince, et al, J. Synch. Rad. 5 (1998) 565; see also http://www.elettra.eu/elettra-beamlines/gasphase.html [2] M. Coreno, et al, Dalton Trans. 43 (2014) 5134-5141. [3] T. Mazza, M. Devetta, P. Milani, G. Bongiorno, M. Coreno, P. Piseri, New J. Phys. 13 (2011) 023009. [4] C. Grazioli, et al. , Rev. Sci. Instr. 85 (2014) 23104. [5] L. Giannessi, et al. , Phys. Rev. Lett. 106 (2011) 144801 [6] E. Allaria, et al. New J. Phys. 14 (2012) 113009 [7] E. Allaria, et al. Phys. Rev. X 4 (2014) 41040