Vibrationally assisted electronic desorption: Femtosecond surface chemistry of O2/Pd(111)

The process of desorption for the system of O2/Pd(111) under excitation by 100 fs pulses of visible light has been examined. Molecular desorption is found to occur with high efficiency and a nonlinear dependence on laser fluence. Direct time-domain measurements using a two-pulse correlation scheme reveal a dominant subpicosecond response together with a weaker, but significant correlation persisting for tens of picoseconds. These results imply a desorption process driven by the high electron temperatures produced by the femtosecond laser radiation. The slower component of the correlation response is interpreted as an enhancement of the desorption rate by adsorbate vibrational excitation.