Attosecond science has paved the way for direct probing of electron dynamics in gases and solids. This review provides an overview of recent attosecond measurements, focusing on the wealth of knowledge obtained by the application of isolated attosecond pulses in studying dynamics in gases and solid-state systems. Attosecond photoelectron and photoion measurements in atoms reveal strong-field tunneling ionization and a delay in the photoemission from different electronic states. These measurements applied to molecules have shed light on ultrafast intramolecular charge migration. Similar approaches are used to understand photoemission processes from core and delocalized electronic states in metal surfaces. Attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy is used to follow the real-time motion of valence electrons and to measure the lifetimes of autoionizing channels in atoms. In solids, it provides the first measurements of bulk electron dynamics, revealing important phenomena such as the timescales governing the switching from an insulator to a metallic state and carrier-carrier interactions.

In typical carbonyl-containing molecules, bond dissociation events follow initial excitation to nπ_C═O^* states. However, in acetyl iodide, the iodine atom gives rise to electronic states with mixed nπ_C═O^* and nσ_C-I^* character, leading to complex excited-state dynamics, ultimately resulting in dissociation. Using ultrafast extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, we present an investigation of the primary photodissociation dynamics of acetyl iodide via time-resolved spectroscopy of core-to-valence transitions of the I atom after 266 nm excitation. The probed I 4d-to-valence transitions show features that evolve on sub-100-fs time scales, reporting on excited-state wavepacket evolution during dissociation. These features subsequently evolve to yield spectral signatures corresponding to free iodine atoms in their spin-orbit ground and excited states with a branching ratio of 1.1:1 following dissociation of the C-I bond. Calculations of the valence excitation spectrum via equation-of-motion coupled cluster with single and double substitutions (EOM-CCSD) show that initial excited states are of spin-mixed character. From the initially pumped spin-mixed state, we use a combination of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-driven nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics and EOM-CCSD calculations of the N_4,5 edge to reveal a sharp inflection point in the transient XUV signal that corresponds to rapid C-I homolysis. By examining the molecular orbitals involved in the core-level excitations at and around this inflection point, we are able to piece together a detailed picture of C-I bond photolysis in which d → σ* transitions give way to d → p excitations as the bond dissociates. We also report theoretical predictions of short-lived, weak 4d → 5d transitions in acetyl iodide, validated by weak bleaching in the experimental transient XUV spectra. This joint experimental-theoretical effort has thus unraveled the detailed electronic structure and dynamics of a strongly spin-orbit coupled system.

High-harmonic generation (HHG) produces ultrashort pulses of extreme ultraviolet radiation (XUV), which can be used for pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy in metal oxides, semiconductors, and dielectrics. Femtosecond transient absorption on iron and cobalt oxides identifies ligand-to-metal charge transfer as the main spectroscopic transition, rather than metal-to-metal charge transfer or d-d transitions, upon photoexcitation in the visible. In silicon, attosecond transient absorption reveals that electrons tunnel into the conduction band from the valence band under strong-field excitation, to energies as high as 6 eV above the conduction band minimum. Extensions of these experiments to other semiconductors, such as germanium, and other transition metal oxides, such as vanadium dioxide, are discussed. Germanium is of particular interest because it should be possible to follow both electron and hole dynamics in a single measurement using transient XUV absorption.

Methanol is a benchmark for understanding tropospheric oxidation, but is underpredicted by up to 100% in atmospheric models. Recent work has suggested this discrepancy can be reconciled by the rapid reaction of hydroxyl and methylperoxy radicals with a methanol branching fraction of 30%. However, for fractions below 15%, methanol underprediction is exacerbated. Theoretical investigations of this reaction are challenging because of intersystem crossing between singlet and triplet surfaces - ∼45% of reaction products are obtained via intersystem crossing of a pre-product complex - which demands experimental determinations of product branching. Here we report direct measurements of methanol from this reaction. A branching fraction below 15% is established, consequently highlighting a large gap in the understanding of global methanol sources. These results support the recent high-level theoretical work and substantially reduce its uncertainties.