Spectroscopy of radicals, clusters, and transition states using slow electron velocity-map imaging of cryogenically cooled anions

Slow electron velocity-map imaging of cryogenically cooled anions (cryo-SEVI) is a high resolution variant of anion photoelectron spectroscopy that has been applied with considerable success over the years to the study of radicals, size-selected clusters, and transition states for unimolecular and bimolecular reactions. Cryo-SEVI retains the versatility of conventional anion photoelectron spectroscopy while offering sub-meV resolution, thereby enabling the resolution of vibrational structure in the photoelectron spectra of complex anions. This article describes recent experiments in our laboratory using cryo-SEVI, including a new research direction in which anions are vibrationally pre-excited with an infrared laser pulse prior to photodetachment.