Imaging an aligned polyatomic molecule with laser-induced electron diffraction

Citation: Pullen, M. G., Wolter, B., Le, A. T., Baudisch, M., Hemmer, M., Senftleben, A., . . . Biegert, J. (2015). Imaging an aligned polyatomic molecule with laser-induced electron diffraction. Nature Communications, 6, 6. doi:10.1038/ncomms8262Laser-induced electron diffraction is an evolving tabletop method that aims to image ultrafast structural changes in gas-phase polyatomic molecules with sub-Anagstrom spatial and femtosecond temporal resolutions. Here we demonstrate the retrieval of multiple bond lengths from a polyatomic molecule by simultaneously measuring the C-C and C-H bond lengths in aligned acetylene. Our approach takes the method beyond the hitherto achieved imaging of simple diatomic molecules and is based on the combination of a 160 kHz mid-infrared few-cycle laser source with full three-dimensional electron-ion coincidence detection. Our technique provides an accessible and robust route towards imaging ultrafast processes in complex gas-phase molecules with atto-to femto-second temporal resolution