Competition between the shake-off and knockout mechanisms in the double and triple photoionization of the halothane molecule (C2HBrClF3).

The ratios of single, double, and triple ionizations to the total photoionization of the halothane (C2HBrClF3) molecule have been investigated by a single-photon ionization in the energy range from 21.21 eV to 320 eV. In the valence region, the multiple ionization results can be described by a sum of contributions generated from the shake-off and the two-step one models. At low photon energies (from the threshold of triple ionization up to 100 eV), the triple photoionization dynamics of halothane can be reasonably well described by a model involving a classical electron impact double ionization of the singly ionized parent ion.