Electronic and vibrational radiative cooling of the small carbon clusters C4- and C6-

Delayed electron detachment yields of C-4(-) and C-6(-) induced by photoexcitation in an electrostatic ion storage ring were measured as functions of excitation energies and laser firing times, allowing for a mapping of their radiative cooling in a wide energy range. The energy window concept and discrimination of one- and two-photon absorption are critical in understanding the obtained results. The experimentally obtained electronic and vibrational cooling rates were consistent with a simulation based on detailed-balance theory. The even-odd alternation of vibrational cooling rates, predicted from IR intensities, was also examined. We found that the larger anion cools faster, with no indication of an even-odd alternation.