Imaging Photoelectron Circular Dichroism in the Detachment of Mass-Selected Chiral Anions.

Abstract

Photoelectron Circular Dichroism (PECD) is a forward-backward asymmetry in the photoemission from a non-racemic sample induced by circularly polarized light. PECD spectroscopy has potential analytical advantages for chiral discrimination over other chiroptical methods due to its increased sensitivity to the chiral potential of the molecule. The use of anions for PECD spectroscopy allows for mass-selectivity and provides a path to simple experimental schemes that employ table-top light sources. Evidence of PECD for anions is limited, and insight into the forces that govern PECD electron dynamics in photodetachment is absent. Here, we demonstrate a PECD effect in the photodetachment of mass-selected deprotonated 1-indanol anions. By utilizing velocity map imaging photoelectron spectroscopy with a tunable light source, we determine the energy-resolved PECD over a wide range of photon energies. The observed PECD reaches up to 11 %, similar to what has been measured for neutral species.