Photoelectron Angular Distribution and Molecular Structure in Multiply Charged Anions

Photoelectrons emitted from multiply charged anions (MCAs) carry information of the intramolecular Coulomb repulsion (ICR), which is dependent on molecular structures. Using photoelectron imaging, we observed the effects of ICR on photoelectron angular distributions (PAD) of the three isomers of benzene dicarboxylate dianions C6H4(CO2)(2)(2-) (o-, in- and p-BDC2-). Photoelectrons were observed to peak along the laser polarization due to the ICR, but the anisotropy was the largest for p-BDC2-, followed by the in- and o-isomer. The observed anisotropy is related to the direction of the ICR or the detailed molecular structures, suggesting that photoelectron imaging may allow structural information to be obtained for complex multiply charged anions.