A femtosecond pump-probe experiment, coupled with velocity map ion imaging, is reported on the second absorption band (B-band) of CH(3)I. The measurements provide a detailed picture of real-time B-band predissociation in the band origin at 201.2 nm. Several new data are reported. (i) A value of 1.5+/-0.1 ps has been obtained for the lifetime of the excited state, consistent within errors with the only other direct measurement of this quantity [A. P. Baronavski and J. C. Owrutsky, J. Chem. Phys. 108, 3445 (1998)]. (ii) It has been possible to measure the angular character of the transition directly through the observation of fragments appearing early with respect to both predissociation lifetime and molecular rotation. (iii) Vibrational activity in CH(3) has been found, both in the umbrella (nu(2)) and the symmetric stretch (nu(1)) modes, with estimates of relative populations. All these findings constitute a challenge and a test for much-wanted high level ab initio and dynamics calculations in this energy region.

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Femtosecond time-resolved velocity map imaging experiments are reported on several vibronic levels of the second absorption band (B-band) of CH 3 I, including vibrational excitation in the ν 2 and ν 3 modes of the bound 3 R 1 (E) Rydberg state. Specific predissociation lifetimes have been determined for the 2 The result, previously reported in the literature, where vibrational excitation to the C-I stretching mode (ν 3 ) of the CH 3 I 3 R 1 (E) Rydberg state yields a predissociation lifetime about four times slower than that corresponding to the vibrationless state, whereas predissociation is twice faster if the vibrational excitation is to the umbrella mode (ν 2 ), is confirmed in the present experiments. In addition to the specific vibrational state lifetimes, which were found to be 0.85 ± 0.04 ps and 4.34 ± 0.13 ps for the 2 1 0 and 3 1 0 vibronic levels, respectively, the time evolution of the fragment anisotropy and the vibrational activity of the CH 3 fragment are presented. Additional striking results found in the present work are the evidence of ground state I( 2 P 3/2 ) fragment production when excitation is produced specifically to the 3 1 0 vibronic level, which is attributed to predissociation via the A-band 1 Q 1 potential energy surface, and the indication of a fast adiabatic photodissociation process through the repulsive A-band 3 A 1 (4E) state, after direct absorption to this state, competing with absorption to the 3 1 0 vibronic level of the 3 R 1 (E) Rydberg state of the B-band.