Theory and first principles calculations of dissociative resonant photoionization: The evolution of atomic peaks and holes

We present theory and computational method for analyzing dissociative resonant photoemission from first principles. Particular emphasis is devoted to the conditions for observing so-called atomic peaks and atomic holes. The atomic peaks are connected with photoemission following resonant excitation to dissociative core excited states which show signals from scattering channels involving the dissociation (atomic) fragments in addition to those involving the compound molecule. The holes are the results of continuum-continuum interference effects between these two, atomic and molecular, channels which may act destructively under certain conditions. We apply a novel electronic structure method to compute the transition moments for the resonant and direct photoemission channels including their dependence on internuclear distances and their interference. The relevant matrix elements involving the photoelectron are obtained using similar techniques for the two types of channels, with the scattered electron wave in each case being determined in the full molecular anisotropic potential. A study of resonant photoemission through the core excited sigma* states