  The photoionization of xenon atoms in the 70-100 eV range reveals several
fascinating physical phenomena such as a giant resonance induced by the dynamic
rearrangement of the electron cloud after photon absorption, an anomalous
branching ratio between intermediate Xe$^+$ states separated by the spin-orbit
interaction and multiple Auger decay processes. These phenomena have been
studied in the past, using in particular synchrotron radiation, but without
access to real-time dynamics. Here, we study the dynamics of Xe 4d
photoionization on its natural time scale combining attosecond interferometry
and coincidence spectroscopy. A time-frequency analysis of the involved
transitions allows us to identify two interfering ionization mechanisms: the
broad giant dipole resonance with a fast decay time less than 50 as and a
narrow resonance at threshold induced by spin-flip transitions, with much
longer decay times of several hundred as. Our results provide new insight into
the complex electron-spin dynamics of photo-induced phenomena.
