Three-dimensional velocity map imaging of KBr surface photochemistry

We have combined the velocity map imaging technique with time-of-flight measurements to study the surface photochemistry of KBr single crystals. This approach yields 3-dimensional velocity distributions of Br atoms resulting from 193 nm photodesorption. The velocity distributions indicate that at least two non-thermal mechanisms contribute to the photodesorption dynamics. Our experimental geometry also allows us to measure the Br(2P3/2):Br(2P1/2) branching ratio, which is found to be 24:1.