Multireference configuration interaction study on spectroscopic parameters and molecular constants of PO and PO+

The highly accurate valence internally contracted multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) approach has been employed to investigate the potential energy curves (PECs) for the X²Π, b⁴Σ^?, C²Σ^? states of PO and the X¹Σ⁺ state of PO⁺. For these electronic states, the spectroscopic parameters of the isotopes (P¹⁶O, P¹⁸O, P¹⁶O⁺, and P¹⁸O⁺) have been determined and compared with those of the investigations reported in the literature. The comparison shows that excellent agreement exists between the present results and the available experiments. With the PECs determined here, the first 30 vibrational states for P¹⁶O(X²Π, b⁴Σ^?), P¹⁸O(X²Π, b⁴Σ^?), P¹⁶O⁺(X¹Σ⁺), and P¹⁸O⁺(X¹Σ⁺) are computed when the rotational quantum number J equals zero (J = 0). The vibrational level G(υ), inertial rotation constant B_υ and centrifugal distortion constant D_υ are determined when J = 0. All the results of vibrational states except for P¹⁶O (X²Π) are reported for the first time. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Electronic transition moment of the AΠr-XΣ system of TiN

The A²Π_r-X²Σ⁺ transition of TiN was observed by the dispersed laser induced fluorescence (DLIF) spectroscopy. The relative intensities of the DLIF spectra were analyzed to determine the dependence of the electronic transition moment, R_e(r), on the internuclear distance, r, as R_e(r)∝{1−0.281(26)r} (1.380 Å≤r≤1.823 Å). This r-dependence was analyzed simultaneously with the reported values of the spin-orbit constants for A²Π_r and the hyperfine-coupling constants for X²Σ⁺ to evaluate the ionic character of the TiN bond, the 4s atomic character in the 9σ orbital of X²Σ⁺, and the 4p atomic character in the 4π orbital of A²Π_r. These characters were confirmed to be in accordance with the reported theoretical prediction. A strong r-dependence was indicated for the 3d-4p mixing in the A²Π_r state due to the configuration mixing of the Ti(3d⁴) and Ti(3d³4p) states at a large internuclear distance.     

Theoretical studies of fine structure in the ground state of O2

The spin-spin and spin-orbit contributions to the fine-structure constant of O₂ in its X³Σ^−g state are determined by ab initio methods. For the spin-spin interaction λ_ss, an extensive configuration interaction (Cl) calculation is carried out with a Slater basis set of double-zeta quality. The correlation terms which affect λ_ss most are identified, and it is found that although each of these terms can change λ_ss drastically, their net effect tends to be self-cancelling. The spin-orbit contribution λ_so is evaluated by assuming that the lowest members of the excited states ^2S+1Σ⁺_g and ^2S+1Π^±_g for S = 0, 1, 2 correctly describe the perturbation. Using ground-state SCF orbitals to construct single-configuration wavefunctions for these states, we find that the ¹Σ⁺_g state is the dominant contributor. Approximately 80% or 105% of the total splitting constant λ_ss + λ_so is recovered depending on whether theoretical or experimental energy denominators are used for λ_so, respectively.     

O‐loss photodissociation of the OCS+ ion in the low‐lying electronic states studied using multiconfiguration second‐order perturbation theory

The CASPT2 potential energy curves (PECs) for O‐loss dissociation from the X²Π, A²Π, B²Σ⁺, C²Σ⁺, 1⁴Σ^?, 1²Σ^?, and 1⁴Π states of the OCS⁺ ion were calculated. The PEC calculations indicate that X²Π, 1⁴Σ^?, 1²Σ^?, and 1⁴Π correlate with CS⁺(X²Σ⁺) + O(³P_g); A²Π and B²Σ⁺ correlate with CS⁺(A²Π) + O(³P_g); and C²Σ⁺ probably correlates with CS⁺(X²Σ⁺) + O(¹D_g). The CASSCF minimum energy crossing point (MECP) calculations were performed for the C²Σ⁺/1⁴Σ^?, C²Σ⁺/1⁴Π, A²Π/1⁴Σ^?, A²Π/1²Σ^?, A²Π/1⁴Π, and B²Σ⁺/1²Σ^? state pairs and the spin‐obit couplings were calculated at the located MECPs. A conical intersection point between the B²Σ⁺ and C²Σ⁺ potential energy surfaces was found at the CASSCF level. Based on our calculations, seven O‐loss predissociation processes of the C²Σ⁺ state are suggested and an appearance potential value of 7.13 eV for the CS⁺ + O product group is predicted. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

High-resolution UV photoelectron spectroscopy of diatomic halogens

Diatomic halogens are studied with UV photoelectron spectroscopy using new techniques to preserve high resolution even for reactive species. For the first time vibrational structure is observed on the ²Π_u,i (i = ^1/2,^3/2) states (F₂⁺, Cl₂⁺), the ²Σ_g⁺ states (F₂⁺, Cl₂⁺) and the Br₂⁺ (²Π_{u,$\text{3}\text{2}$}) state. On the ²Π_u,i states (F₂⁺, Cl₂⁺, Br₂⁺) spin-orbit splitting is resolved. Indications for a small potential barrier on the F₂⁺ (²Π_u,i) state for large internuclear distances are found. A new value for the spin-orbit splitting of the Cl₂⁺(²Π_g) state is presented (= ?725 cm^?1). The complementary nature of optical emission and photoelectron spectroscopy for small ions is demonstrated leading to a more complete picture of the F₂⁺ (²Π_u,i) and Cl₂⁺ (²Π_u,i) ionic states.     

Ab initio calculations on low-lying electronic states of PdH

Potential energy curves for the low-lying electronic states of PdH have been calculated using the MRCI method with scalar relativistic and spin-orbit corrections, and all electronic states correlating to the 4d¹⁰ (¹S), 4d⁹ 5s¹ (³D), 4d⁹ 5s¹ (¹D) and 4d⁸ 5s² (³F) states of Pd were included. Potential energy curves for the individual Ω states have been obtained, and the experimentally observed spectra of both PdH and PdD isotopologues have been assigned appropriately based on the ab initio results. Einstein A coefficients were calculated for other possible transitions from the low-lying electronic states to the X²Σ⁺ ground state. Diagonal and off-diagonal matrix elements of the spin-orbit Hamiltonian were calculated for all vibrational levels of the X²Σ⁺, 1²Δ, 1²Π, 2²Σ⁺ and 3²Σ⁺ states, and it was found from the eigenvectors that the vibrational wavefunctions of the 1²Δ_3/2 and 1²Π_3/2 states are mixed significantly in both PdH and PdD isotopologues.     

CS+(B2Σ+ → A 2Πi) fluorescence from penning excitation of CS

The energy transfer reation of He(2³S) + CS was studied spectroscopically in a flowing afterglow apparatus. The CS⁺(B²Σ⁺ → A ²Π_i) transition is identified via three members of the Δν = 0 sequence (406–415 nm). The spin-orbit splitting of the (0, 0) band of CS⁺(A ²Π_i) is 301 ± 5 cm^?1. A weak emitting system (280–340 nm) is tentatively identified as CS⁺(B²Σ⁺→ X²Σ⁺).     

Geometric and electronic structure of ground and excited states of groupVA diatomics. A theoretical LCGTO-MP-LSD study

LCGTO-MP-LSD calculation was performed for the ground and several low-lying excited states of homo- (N₂, P₂, As₂, and Sb₂) and hetero-nuclear (PN, AsN, AsP, AsSb, SbN, and SbP) groupVA diatomics. For all the systems the ground state is found to be¹Σ⁺. For N₂ and P₂, the¹Σ _g ⁺ ground state is followed by the³Σ _u ⁺ ,³Π _g ,³Δ _u ,¹Π _g , and¹Δ _u low-lying exited states while for As₂ the order is found to be³Σ _u ⁺ ,³Δ _u ,³Π _g ,¹Δ _u ,¹Π _g . Finally for Sb₂ the relative stability of excited states is³Σ _u ⁺ ,³Δ _u ,¹Δ _u ,³Π _g ,¹Π _g . For the hetero-nuclear diatomics the¹Σ⁺ ground state is, in the case of PN, AsN, AsP, SbN, and SbP, followed by the³Σ⁺,³Δ,³Π,¹Π and¹Δ low-lying excited states while for the AsSb diatomic an inversion of stability of the two last singlets occurs. The calculated spectroscopic parameters (Re, ωe, andDe) are in good agreement with all the available experimental results while, theTe values are overestimated by about 0.5 eV. Mulliken population analysis shows that both homo- and hetero-nuclear groupVA diatomics are essentially triple bonded systems.     

Electronic,spectra, and spin orbit interaction for FrAr van der Waals system

The potential energy curves and spectroscopic constants of the ground and many excited states of the FrAr van der Waals system have been determined using a one‐electron pseudopotential approach. The Fr⁺ core and the electron–Ar interactions are replaced by effective potentials. The Fr⁺Ar core–core interaction is incorporated using the accurate CCSD(T) potential of Hickling et al. (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2004, 6, 4233). This approach reduces the number of active electrons of the FrAr van der Waals system to only one valence electron, which permits the use of very large basis sets for the Fr and Ar atoms. Using this technique, the potential energy curves of the ground and many excited states are calculated at the self consistent field (SCF) level. In addition, the spin–orbit interaction is also considered using the semiempirical scheme for the states dissociating into Fr (7p) and Fr (8p). The FrAr system is not studied previously and its potential interactions, spectroscopic constants and dipole functions are presented here for the first time. Furthermore, we have predicted the X²Σ⁺–A²Π_1/2, X²Σ⁺–AΠ_3/2, X²Σ⁺–B²Σ_1/2⁺, X²Σ⁺–3²Π_1/2, X²Σ⁺–3²Π_3/2, and X²Σ⁺–5²Σ_1/2⁺ absorption spectra. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical study of electronic structure of rhodium mononitride and interpretation of experimental spectra

Potential energy curves of 22 electronic states of RhN have been calculated by the complete active space second‐order perturbation theory method. The X¹Σ₀⁺ is assigned as the ground state, and the first excited state a³Π₀+ is 978 cm^?1 higher. The ¹Δ(I) and B¹Σ⁺ states are located at 9521 and 13,046 cm^?1 above the ground state, respectively. The B¹Σ⁺ state should be the excited state located 12,300 cm^?1 above the ground state in the experimental study. Moreover, two excited states, C¹Π and b³Σ⁺, are found 14,963 and 15,082 cm^?1 above the X¹Σ⁺ state, respectively. The transition C¹Π₁–X¹Σ₀⁺ may contribute to the experimentally observed bands headed at 15,071 cm^?1. There are two excited states, D¹Δ and E¹Σ⁺, situate at 20,715 and 23,145 cm^?1 above the X¹Σ⁺ state. The visible bands near 20,000 cm^?1 could be generated by the electronic transitions D¹Δ₂–a³Π₁ and E¹Σ⁺₀–X¹Σ⁺₀ because of the spin–orbit coupling effect. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical study of the N+2 molecular ion

The Equations of Motion method has been applied in the calculation of potential energy curves for the X²Σ⁺_g, A²Π_u and B²Σ⁺_u states of N⁺₂. Results are also reported for a new dissociative ²Σ⁺_g state. The theoretical curves are directly compared with the experimental ones as well as in terms of spectroscopic constants. The applicability of the Equations of Motion method to this type of problem is critically examined and discussed with regard to the choice of basis set, numerical effort and agreement with experiment.     

Rotational analysis of the a3Π0+,1-X1Σ+ emission systems of GeH+

New emission systems have been observed from the helium afterglow reaction of GeH₄ in the 520–610 nm region. On the basis of the rotational analysis, they were assigned to the a ³Π_0⁺-X¹Σ⁺ and a³Π₁-X¹Σ⁺ subsystems of GeH⁺. Spectroscopic constants have been determined for the GeH⁺ (a³Π_0⁺, a³Π₁, X¹Σ⁺) states.     

Theoretical study of spectroscopic and molecular properties of several low‐lying electronic states of CO molecule

The potential energy curves (PECs) of eight low‐lying electronic states (X¹Σ⁺, a³Π, a′³Σ⁺, d³Δ, e³Σ^?, A¹Π, I¹Σ^?, and D¹Δ) of the carbon monoxide molecule have been studied by an ab initio quantum chemical method. The calculations have been performed using the complete active space self‐consistent field method, which is followed by the valence internally contracted multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) approach in combination with the correlation‐consistent aug‐cc‐pV5Z basis set. The effects on the PECs by the core‐valence correlation and relativistic corrections are included. The way to consider the relativistic corrections is to use the third‐order Douglas–Kroll Hamiltonian approximation at the level of a cc‐pV5Z basis set. Core‐valence correlation corrections are performed using the cc‐pCVQZ basis set. To obtain more reliable results, the PECs determined by the MRCI calculations are corrected for size‐extensivity errors by means of the Davidson modification (MRCI+Q). The spectroscopic parameters (D_e, T_e, R_e, ω_e, ω_ex_e, ω_ey_e, B_e, α_e, and γ_e) of these electronic states are calculated using these PECs. The spectroscopic parameters are compared with those reported in the literature. Using the Breit–Pauli operator, the spin–orbit coupling effect on the spectroscopic parameters is discussed for the a³Π electronic state. With the PECs obtained by the MRCI+Q/aug‐cc‐pV5Z+CV+DK calculations, the complete vibrational states of each electronic state have been determined. The vibrational manifolds have been calculated for each vibrational state of each electronic state. The vibrational level G(ν), inertial rotation constant B_ν, and centrifugal distortion constant D_ν of the first 20 vibrational states when the rotational quantum number J equals zero are reported and compared with the experimental data. Comparison with the measurements demonstrates that the present spectroscopic parameters and molecular constants determined by the MRCI+Q/aug‐cc‐pV5Z+CV+DK calculations are both reliable and accurate. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Absolute emission cross sections for the calibration of optical detection systems in the 120–250 nm range

Absolute emission cross sections have been determined for electron impact on CO, NO and N₂. For the CO(A ¹ΠX ¹Σ⁺) and N₂(a ¹ΠX ¹Σ_g) radiation our data is in good agreement with that of other groups. For CO⁺ (B²Σ⁺X²Σ⁺) the values of the emission cross sections are different from those measured previously. This discrepancy is explained in terms of an inadequate straylight correction in the former experiments. For the NO(A²Σ⁺X²Π) emission no previous σ_em values are known to the authors. Furthermore the electronic transition moments of the NO(A²Σ⁺X²Π) and CO⁺(B²ΣX²Σ⁺) systems have been measured and are found to be independent of the internuclear distance.     

Potential curves of Li2+ by a local potential method

Local potential calculations have been carried out for the first eight ²Σ_g, ²Σ_u and the first five ²Π_g, ²Π_u states of Li₂⁺. The results indicate the usefulness of calculating highly excited potential curves by a local potential method.     

Quenching of the OH and nitrogen molecular emission by methane addition in an Ar capacitively coupled plasma to remove spectral interference in lead determination by atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A new method is proposed to remove the spectral interference on elements in atomic fluorescence spectrometry by quenching of the molecular emission of the OH radical (A²Σ⁺ → X²Π) and N₂ second positive system (C³Π_u → B³Σ_g) in the background spectrum of medium power Ar plasmas. The experiments were carried out in a radiofrequency capacitively coupled plasma (275 W, 27.12 MHz) by CH₄ addition. The quenching is the result of the high affinity of OH radical for a hydrogen atom from the CH₄ molecule and the collisions of the second kind between nitrogen excited molecules and CH₄, respectively. The decrease of the emission of N₂ second positive system in the presence of CH₄ is also the result of the deactivation of the metastable argon atoms that could excite the nitrogen molecules. For flow rates of 0.7 l min^− 1 Ar with addition of 7.5 ml min^− 1 CH₄, the molecular emission of OH and N₂ was completely removed from the plasma jet spectrum at viewing heights above 60 mm. The molecular emission associated to CH and CH₂ species was not observed in the emission spectrum of Ar/CH₄ plasma in the ultraviolet range. The method was experimented for the determination of Pb at 283.31 nm by atomic fluorescence spectrometry with electrodeless discharge lamp and a multichannel microspectrometer. The detection limit was 35 ng ml^− 1, 2–3 times better than in atomic emission spectrometry using the same plasma source, and similar to that in hollow cathode lamp microwave plasma torch atomic fluorescence spectrometry.     

The kinetics of free radicals generated by IR laser photolysis. II. Reactions of C2(X 1Σ+g), C2(a 3Πu), C3(X̄ 1Σ+g) and CN(X 2Σ+) with O2

The 300 K reactions of O₂ with C₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g), C₂(a ³ Π_u), C₃(X? ¹Σ⁺_g) and CN(X ²Σ⁺), which are generated via IR multiple photon dissociation (MPD), are reported. From the spectrally resolved chemiluminescence produced via the IR MPD of C₂H₃CN in the presence of O₂, CO molecules in the a ³Σ⁺, d ³Δ_i, and e ³Σ^? states were identified, as well as CH(A ²Δ) and CN(B ²Σ⁺) radicals. Observation of time resolved chemiluminescence reveals that the electronically excited CO molecules are formed via the single-step reactions C₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g, a ³Π_u) + O₂ → CO(X ¹Σ⁺ + CO(T), where T denotes are electronically excited triplet state of CO. The rate coefficients for the removal of C₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g) and C₂(a ³Π_u) by O₂ were determined both from laser induced fluorescence of C₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g) and C₂(a ³Π_u), and from the time resolved chemiluminescence from excited CO molecules, and are both (3.0 ± 0.2)10^?12 cm³ molec^?1 s^?1. The rate coefficient of the reaction of C₃ with O₂, which was determined using the IR MPD of allene as the source of C₃ molecules, is <2 × 10^?14 cm³ molec^?1 s^?1. In addition, we find that rate coefficients for C₃ reactions with N₂, NO, CH₄, and C₃H₆ are all < × 10^?14 cm³ molec^?1 s^?1. Excited CH molecules are produced in a reaction which proceeds with a rate coefficient of (2.6 ± 0.2)10^?11 cm³ molec^?1 s^?1. Possible reactions which may be the source of these radicals are discussed. The reaction of CN with O₂ produces NCO in vibrationally excited states. Radiative lifetime of the ā ²Σ state of NCo and the ā ¹Π_u(000) state of C₃ are reported.     

High Resolution Laser Excitation Spectra and Franck-Condon Factors of A2Π-X2Σ+ Electronic Transition of MgF

Magnesium monofluoride (MgF) is proposed as an ideal candidate radical for direct laser cooling. Here, the rotationally resolved laser spectra of MgF for the A²Π-X²Σ⁺ electronic transition system were recorded by using laser induced fluorescence technique. The MgF radicals were produced by discharging SF₆/Ar gas mixtures between the tips of two magnesium needles in a supersonic jet expansion. We recorded a total of 19 vibrational bands belonging to three sequences of Δv=0, ±1 in the region of 348-370 nm. Accurate spectroscopic constants for both X²Σ⁺ and A²Π states are determined from rotational analysis of the experimental spectra. Spectroscopic parameters, including the Franck-Condon factors (FCFs), are determined from the experimental results and the Rydberg-Klein-Rees (RKR) calculations. Significant discrepancies between the experimentally measured and RKR-calculated FCFs are found, indicating that the FCFs are nearly independent of the spin-orbit coupling in the A²Π state. Potential energy curves (PECs) and FCFs determined here provide necessary data for the theoretical simulation of the laser-cooling scheme of MgF.