Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

We report a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to the nucleobase uracil. Using ion momentum imaging experiments employing a DEA reaction microscope we have measured 3-dimensional momentum distributions of specific anionic fragments following DEA to uracil by 6 eV electrons. From the measured anion fragment kinetic energy we determine the possible dissociation pathways and the total kinetic energy release. We employ electronic structure and electron scattering calculations to determine the probability for electron attachment in the molecular frame. Combining these calculations with the imaging measurements, we reveal several key features of the coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics of DEA.