Fluorescence cascades evoked by resonant interatomic Coulombic decay of inner-valence excited neon clusters

Resonant interatomic Coulombic decay (RICD) in inner-valence excited neon clusters is observed by a combination of vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) and UV/visible fluorescence spectroscopy. These ultrafast interatomic electronic processes efficiently quench radiation emission from inner-valence excited clusters. After RICD took place, outer-valence excited clusters relax further by emission of fluorescence. The direct correspondence of the structures observed in the VUV and UV/visible fluorescence signals implies that the final states of the spectator RICD decay by a cascade of radiative decays: First, by the Rydberg-to-Rydberg transitions in the UV/visible spectral range, and then, by the Rydberg-to-valence transition in the VUV range. Our study demonstrates a possibility of detecting interatomic electronic processes by UV/visible fluorescence spectroscopy.

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