COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF MOLECULAR PHOTOIONIZATION FROM CIRCULAR-DICHROISM OF ROTATIONALLY RESOLVED PHOTOELECTRON ANGULAR-DISTRIBUTIONS

The photoionization process NO A2-SIGMA+(upsilon=0, N=22) --> NO+ X1-SIGMA+(upsilon+=0, N+)+e- is studied with sufficient energy resolution that the photoelectron angular distributions associated with individual rotational levels N+ of the ion are determined. By ionizing with left and right circularly polarized light and observing the change in the rotationally resolved photoelectron angular distributions, we can deduce all dynamical information, including the signs of the relative phase shifts of the photoelectron partial waves. This information constitutes the first complete description of the photoionization of a molecule.