Two-body fragmentation dynamics of cyclopropane dication following 5.8 MeV/u Ni19+ impact

The dissociation of cyclopropane dication (c-C3H62+) induced by 5.8 MeV/u Ni19+ was investigated using cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy. Five primary two-body dissociation channels were identified, comprising three C-C bond cleavage channels and two C-H bond cleavage channels. Analysis of the measured kinetic energy release distributions, supported by ab initio quantum chemical calculations, offers comprehensive insights into the underlying fragmentation dynamics. The results revealed that excited-state fragmentation dynamics and hydrogen migration processes play a dominant role, distinctly differing from the dissociation behavior observed in other small hydrocarbon molecules.