X-ray multiphoton ionization dynamics of a water molecule irradiated by an x-ray free-electron laser pulse

We present a theoretical investigation of x-ray multiphoton ionization dynamics of polyatomic molecules, based on the rate equation model and molecular electronic structure calculations. An efficient numerical procedure is developed to calculate photoionization cross sections, Auger rates, and fluorescence rates for all possible electronic multiple-hole configurations of molecules. We investigate the charge-state distribution of a water molecule after interaction with an intense x-ray pulse and discuss its dependence on the fluence and the pulse duration of the x-ray beam. Our results demonstrate that a water molecule exposed to an intense x-ray pulse is more ionized than what would be expected within the independent-atom picture.