Temperature Dependence of X-ray-Induced Auger Processes in Liquid Water

Auger spectroscopy has previously been used to study changes in the hydrogen bond network in liquid water, but to the best of our knowledge it has not been used to track such changes as a function of temperature. We show Auger spectroscopy to reflect the weakening of the hydrogen bond network upon heating. This shows that the radiation response of water, i.e., the relative propensity of the different processes occurring after radiation exposure, including femtosecond proton dynamics, depends on the temperature of the system. This proof-of-principle study further demonstrates the suitability of the technique to help elucidate information on the intermolecular structure of liquids such as water, opening the door to further temperature-dependent studies.