Since their inception, velocity map imaging (VMI) techniques have received continued interest in their expansion from 2D to 3D momentum measurements through either reconstructive or direct methods. Recently, much work has been devoted to the latter of these by relating electron time-of-flight (TOF) to the third momentum component. The challenge is having a timing resolution sufficient to resolve the structure in the narrow (<10 ns) electron TOF spread. Here, we build upon the work in VMI lens design and 3D VMI measurement by using a plano–convex thick-lens (PCTL) VMI in conjunction with an event-driven camera (TPX3CAM) providing TOF information for high resolution 3D electron momentum measurements. We perform simulations to show that, with the addition of a mesh electrode to the thick-lens geometry, the resulting plano–convex electrostatic field extends the detectable electron cutoff energy range while retaining the high resolution. This design also extends the electron TOF range, allowing for a better momentum resolution along this axis. We experimentally demonstrate these capabilities by examining above-threshold ionization in xenon, where the apparatus is shown to collect electrons of energy up to ∼7 eV with a TOF spread of ∼30 ns, both of which are improved compared to a previous work by factors of ∼1.4 and ∼3.75, respectively. Finally, the PCTL-VMI is equipped with a coincident ion TOF spectrometer, which is shown to effectively extract unique 3D momentum distributions for different ionic species in a gas mixture. These techniques have the potential to lend themselves to more advanced measurements involving systems where the electron momentum distributions possess non-trivial symmetries.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
January 2023
Research Article|
January 05 2023
A plano–convex thick-lens velocity map imaging apparatus for direct, high resolution 3D momentum measurements of photoelectrons with ion time-of-flight coincidence
Michael Davino
;
Michael Davino
(Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Edward McManus
;
Edward McManus
(Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Nora G. Helming
;
Nora G. Helming
(Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Chuan Cheng
;
Chuan Cheng
(Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University
, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Gönenç Moǧol
;
Gönenç Moǧol
(Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University
, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhanna Rodnova
;
Zhanna Rodnova
(Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Geoffrey Harrison
;
Geoffrey Harrison
(Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Kevin Watson;
Kevin Watson
(Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Thomas Weinacht
;
Thomas Weinacht
(Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University
, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
George N. Gibson
;
George N. Gibson
(Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Tobias Saule
;
Tobias Saule
(Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Carlos A. Trallero-Herrero
Carlos A. Trallero-Herrero
a)
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: carlos.trallero@uconn.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: carlos.trallero@uconn.edu
Rev. Sci. Instrum. 94, 013303 (2023)
Article history
Received:
October 07 2022
Accepted:
December 15 2022
Citation
Michael Davino, Edward McManus, Nora G. Helming, Chuan Cheng, Gönenç Moǧol, Zhanna Rodnova, Geoffrey Harrison, Kevin Watson, Thomas Weinacht, George N. Gibson, Tobias Saule, Carlos A. Trallero-Herrero; A plano–convex thick-lens velocity map imaging apparatus for direct, high resolution 3D momentum measurements of photoelectrons with ion time-of-flight coincidence. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 1 January 2023; 94 (1): 013303. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0129900
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00