Photoelectron time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometry and velocity map imaging (VMI) of photoions are two types of experiments used to study ultrafast photochemistry and are independently available on the current Artemis AMO (Atomic, Molecular and Optical) end station. These experiments are frequently used to study the reaction dynamics of small, gas-phase molecules, where only a few photo-induced processes can compete and are easily disentangled. However, as the size of the molecule increases, the number of reaction and fragmentation pathways accessible at a single wavelength also increase, resulting in complex spectra that are difficult to characterise without more rigorous and sophisticated experimental and analytical procedures. In recent years, there has been a need for studying larger and more complex systems by our user community, presenting a challenge that can be meet with the HiLUX upgrade. 

To meet this challenge, we are proposing an upgrade to the AMO end station. The new end station, DYNAMO, will a) fully utilise the capabilities of the new 100 kHz laser system purchased in WP1 in ways the current system could not, b) provide a new, sophisticated experimental set-up with a dual photoelectron and photoion spectrometer, representing a significant upgrade on our current capabilities, and c) diversify the range of samples which can be probed with a new generation of molecular sources.  

These proposed upgrades are a result of consultation with current and future users of the facility within the spectroscopy and reaction dynamics community. The enhanced capabilities of DYNAMO will yield more kinematically complete measurements of chemical systems that are more complex than those studied previously at Artemis. They are of interest for research in structural and reaction dynamics, atmospheric photochemistry, and astrochemistry.