Time-dependent interplay between electron emission and fragmentation in the interatomic Coulombic decay

Abstract

The electronic decay of the Ne2+ cation by electron emission is studied. This interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) follows inner valence ionization of the neon dimer and the decay rate depends strongly on the internuclear distance. The time-dependent theory of wave packet propagation is applied allowing to follow the evolution of the decay process in time. The impact of nuclear dynamics on the decay spectrum is investigated. Among others, the spectrum corresponding to the decay of the 2 2Σu+ electronic state of the Ne2+ cation is calculated at different times. Its characteristics are found to be influenced considerably by the nuclear motion. A pronounced oscillatory structure appears: Its origin is explained and related to the interatomic nature of the ICD process. Particularly enlightening for the understanding of the ICD process is the analysis of the total energy distribution in the final system resulting after the fragmentation of the Ne22+ dication, produced by the ICD of Ne2+.