| Abstract
| - Faced with the problem of underdetermined kinetic equations inanalyzing momenta and kinetic energies ofthree body decay fragments, we followed two conceptually differentpaths in order to shed light on the dynamicsof the process. One is based on the evaluation of the observedkinematic quantities after introduction ofphysically meaningful parameters for each type of decay: sequential,synchronously concerted, andasynchronously concerted mechanism. The other one is based on aninformation theoretic approach,maximizing the entropy of the joint probability matrix containing theprobabilities for coincidently realizingaccessible sets of product states. The results obtained in bothcases match remarkably well: No significantcontribution of a molecular channel, producing chlorine molecules, wasfound. Likewise, the generation ofa stable chloroformyl radical had been ruled out in previous studies,so that every dissociation process uponirradiation around 230 nm yields three fragments: two chlorine atomsand a carbon monoxide molecule. Forthis three body decay, the asynchronously concerted mechanism is thedominant dissociation channel,accounting for over 80% of the products. The chlorine fragmentsmove preferentially in the same direction,resulting in forward scattering of the carbon monoxide. A lessabundant decay channel is the synchronouslyconcerted mechanism, in which the two bonds cleave in unison, and thataccounts for the remaining products.The geometry of the decaying parent resembles the ground stateequilibrium geometry with significantexcitations of the COCl2 bending modes. For bothmechanisms the CO fragments are generated with highinternal excitation.
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