Itzik Ben-Itzhak
University Distinguished Professor
331 Cardwell Hall
itzik@k-state.edu
Group Webpage
Ph.D. The Technion, Haifa, Israel, 1986
Research Area
Experimental Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics
The goal of our research, conducted at the J. R. Macdonald Laboratory (JRML), is to study and control molecular dynamics under the influence of ultrashort intense laser pulses. To this end, we typically employ coincidence momentum imaging techniques to study either molecular ion beams or neutral molecules as targets. The molecular ions beams, at a few keV, originating from an ion source, are crossed by the laser beam. The resulting charged and neutral fragments are measured in coincidence by a 3-dimensional momentum imaging system, which allows for direct separation of the ionization and dissociation channels.
In one recent example, we explored the photodissociation of the hydroxyl ion, specifically the deuterium tagged OD+, which has two observable final products D+ + O and O+ + D. Upon photoexcitation by a single 790 or 395-nm photon the OD+ dissociates to the O+ + D dissociation limit. To reach the nearly degenerate D+ + O limit a charge transfer transition is required following the same photoexcitation. The measured branching ratio of these dissociation channels is a direct measure of the charge transfer transition probability. This measured probability as a function of energy above the dissociation limit agrees well with our calculations (Bagdia et al, 2024).
In another example, we studied three-body fragmentation of heavy water, D2O, following their double ionization by a single energetic (61 eV) photon. We focused on the sequential breakup into D+ + D+ + O via an intermediate D+ + OD+. This sequential breakup was identified by the expected kinetic energy release upon OD+ dissociation and the rotation of the OD+ in the fragmentation plane, using native frames analysis. Our measurements allowed us to distinguish two sequential dissociation pathways. Combined with classical trajectory calculations, conducted by the group of Bill McCurdy, we were able to determine the electronic states of D2O2+ and OD+ along each of the two pathways (Severt et al, 2022).
Research Support
- Department of Energy
- National Science Foundation
Post Doctoral Fellow
- Nirmallya Das, PhD
Graduate Advisee
- Naoki Iwaomoto, PhD
Undergraduate Advisee
- Vanessa Sanders. BSc
Recent Selected Publications
“Direct measurement of charge exchange probability during photo-dissociation of a few keV OD+ beam”, Chandan Bagdia, T. Severt, Naoki Iwamoto, Anjali Filinovich, T.N. Rescigno, A.E. Orel, K.D. Carnes, and I. Ben-Itzhak, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 15, 6859 (2024). [link]
“Initial-site characterization of hydrogen migration following strong-field double-ionization of ethanol”, Travis Severt, Eleanor Weckwerth, Balram Kaderiya, Peyman Feizollah, Bethany Jochim, Kurtis Borne, Farzaneh Ziaee, Kanaka Raju P., Kevin D. Carnes, Marcos Dantus, Daniel Rolles, Artem Rudenko, Eric Wells, and Itzik Ben-Itzhak, Nature Commun. 15, 74 (2024). [link]
“Step-by-step state-selective tracking of sequential fragmentation dynamics of water dications by momentum imaging”, T. Severt , Z.L. Streeter, W. Iskandar, K.A. Larsen, A. Gatton, D. Trabert, B. Jochim, B. Griffin, E.G. Champenois, M.M. Brister, D. Reedy, D. Call, R. Strom, A.L. Landers, R. Dörner, J.B. Williams, D.S. Slaughter, R.R. Lucchese, Th. Weber, C.W. McCurdy, and I. Ben-Itzhak, Nature Communications 13, 5146 (2022). [link]
“Native frames: Disentangling sequential from concerted three-body fragmentation”, Jyoti Rajput, Travis Severt, Ben Berry, Bethany Jochim, Peyman Feizollah, Balram Kaderiya, M. Zohrabi, U. Ablikim, Farzaneh Ziaee, Kanaka-Raju P., D. Rolles, A. Rudenko, K.D. Carnes, B.D. Esry, and I. Ben-Itzhak, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 103001 (2018). [link]
Highlighted in Physics Today – online story: Three-body fragmentation in a new frame by Johanna L. Miller [link]
“Carrier-envelope phase control over pathway interference in strong-field dissociation of H2 + ”, Nora G. Kling, K.J. Betsch, M. Zohrabi, S. Zeng, F. Anis, U. Ablikim, Bethany Jochim, Z. Wang, M. Kübel, M.F. Kling, K.D. Carnes, B.D. Esry, and I. Ben-Itzhak, Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 163004 (2013). [link]