Direct observation of microscopic solvation at the surface of clusters by ultrafast photoelectron imaging

We report on microscopic observation of solvation by argon atoms of excited states of an ethylenic-like molecule, TDMAE (tetrakis dimethylaminoethylene). Two experimental methods were used: gas phase dynamics for the observation of the evolution through excited states, matrix isolation spectroscopy for characterization of the initial states. Excited state dynamics was recorded after the molecule had been deposited on the surface of a large argon cluster (n approximately 100) by pick-up. The deposited cluster was characterized by mass spectrometry and by its shifted photoelectron spectrum. The time evolution of the system was visualized by femtosecond pump/probe velocity map imaging of photoelectrons. The time evolution of deposited TDMAE excited at 266 nm can be modeled via a modified three state model, as in the free molecule. The initially excited state is of valence character, and a Rydberg state mediates the passage to a zwitterionic configuration. The specific solvation of Rydberg states by the surface of the cluster was directly observed and is discussed. It represents the striking outcome of the present work. It is inferred that differently from the gas phase, solvated Rydberg states resulting from state mixing within a R(n/lambda) complex in the presence of the argon surface are reached. Solvation of these Rydberg states should be effective through interaction of the ion core of the excited molecules with the cluster.     

Theoretical prediction of valence and Rydberg excited states: Minnesota exchange-correlation functionals vs symmetry adapted cluster-configuration interaction

During this contribution, we present a benchmark investigation on the applicability of several Minnesota functionals from various classes like local meta-generalized and meta-nonseparable gradient approximations, hybrids, and range-separated hybrids for describing the valence and Rydberg excitation energies of some organic compounds from different categories. Furthermore, the performances of Minnesota density functionals from density functional theory are also assessed against a wave function theory based approach in the context of excite states calculations, symmetry adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method. Pragmatically, the singles and doubles linked excitation operators are considered in the SAC-CI wave functions. With more or less different accountabilities of the considered methods, it is shown that the M06-2X, M05-2X, and M11 functionals have the best performances for valence excited states. On the other hand, for Rydberg excited states although the SAC-CI method outperforms others, the statistical analyses reveal that the efficiency of some Minnesota functionals is also respectable.     

Comments about the representation of Rydberg and ionic excited states and their photochemistry

This paper discusses the conditions for representing Rydberg and ionic excited states of molecules. It especially shows the intrinsic difficulties of MO methods to treat the weak resonances between strongly polarized situations in highly polarizable symmetric systems; such situations occur in the long distance region for Rydberg excited states of homonuclear molecules, and for the 90 ° twisted singlet excited states of polyenes. The valence/Rydberg mixing is discussed, and some principles for the understanding of Rydberg photochemistry are proprosed, based on a few examples. The present knowledge of the photochemistry of zwitterionic excited states of polyenes is summarized.     

Study of Wave Functions and Radiation Transitions in a Rydberg Polar Cluster Using the Continuum Model

A continuum model describing highly excited (Rydberg) electronic states in clusters composed of polar molecules was proposed. On the basis of this model, the wave functions of Rydberg electronic states of clusters were calculated for a wide range of characteristic cluster parameters. These states are not hydrogen-like and can be described using the quantum defect theory. This fact indicates that radiative transitions can be forbidden within certain ranges of cluster parameters. The quantum defects in clusters and the lifetimes of different states were calculated. The possibility of formation of metastable Rydberg states and anomalous spectral characteristics of Rydberg clusters was shown.     

Model for atomic multiphoton ionization via Rydberg states

A model to treat multiphoton ionization through Rydberg states, taking into account blackbody radiation and other processes which lead to ionization with transfer of excitation among the closely-spaced highly excited Rydberg states is presented. The basic idea is to make the rate equations tractable by compacting all of the Rydberg states that experience physically similar processes into a single “bath” in the equations. The model is applied to sodium Rydberg atoms and the predictions show excellent agreement with experiments.     

Rydberg rings

Atoms in highly excited Rydberg states exhibit remarkable properties such as large polarizability and strong interactions. This makes them interesting for a manifold of applications ranging from electric field sensors to carriers and mediators of quantum information and renders them into a powerful tool for studying quantum phenomena in strongly interacting many-particle systems. In this article we illuminate perspectives for the study of the relaxation and thermalization dynamics of closed many-body quantum systems using alkali atoms that are held in a ring lattice and excited to Rydberg states. Moreover, we show that Rydberg atoms confined to lattices offer exciting possibilities for the creation of entangled many-body quantum states which can serve as a resource for the generation of non-classical light.     

Two-color multiphoton ionization spectra of jet-cooled p-difluorobenzene - s and d Rydberg states

Two-color multiphoton ionization spectra of jet-cooled p-difluorobenzene due to the transitions from S₁ state to highly excited Rydberg states have been observed. At least six different Rydberg series of s and d characters were found. The results indicate a reduction of molecular symmetry in the Rydberg state to C_2h. The Rydberg states belonging to different series exhibit different ionization behavior.     

Theoretical calculation about the valence and Rydberg excited states of hydrogen cyanide

The singlet and triplet excited states of hydrogen cyanide have been computed by using the complete active space self-consistent field and completed active space second order perturbation methods with the atomic natural orbital (ANO-L) basis set. Through calculations of vertical excitation energies, we have probed the transitions from ground state to valence excited states, and further extensions to the Rydberg states are achieved by adding 1s1p1d Rydberg orbitals into the ANO-L basis set. Four singlet and nine triplet excited states have been optimized. The computed adiabatic energies and the vertical transition energies agree well with the available experimental data and the inconsistencies with the available theoretical reports are discussed in detail.     

Ab initio and quantum-defect calculations for the Rydberg states of ArH

Potential energy curves were evaluated for the ground and thirteen low-lying excited electronic states of the ArH molecule over a wide range of internuclear distances by the multi-reference averaged quadratic coupled cluster method. The ab initio energy differences and transition dipole moments were used to estimate Einstein emission coefficients, absorption oscillator strengths and radiative lifetimes. Diagonal and off-diagonal quantum defects, as functions of internuclear distance, were extracted from ab initio potentials of the lowest Rydberg states of the neutral ArH molecule by taking account of configuration interaction between Rydberg series converging to the ground and two electronic excited states of the ArH(+) cation. The derived quantum-defect functions were used to generate manifolds of higher excited Rydberg states. The agreement between experimental and calculated energies and radiative transition probabilities was found to be as good as or better than that obtained by earlier calculations.     

OClO里德堡态激发能的准确预测及其阴离子低能激发态的从头算研究

采用全活化空间自洽场方法(CASSCF)研究了OClO阴离子7个低能电子态及其自由基的基态. 为了进一步考虑动态电子相关效应, 采用二级多组态微扰理论(CASPT2)获得更加可靠的能量值. 此外, 在ANO-L基组的基础上, 在OClO自由基的电荷中心增加了为研究里德堡态所建立的1s1p1d的波函数, 并应用多组态二级微扰理论(MS-CASPT2)方法获得了里德堡态的准确电子激发能.     

Probing Rapidly‐Ionizing Super‐Atom Molecular Orbitals in C60: A Computational and Femtosecond Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study

Super‐atom molecular orbitals (SAMOs) are diffuse hydrogen‐like orbitals defined by the shallow potential at the centre of hollow molecules such as fullerenes. The SAMO excited states differ from the Rydberg states by the significant electronic density present inside the carbon cage. We provide a detailed computational study of SAMO and Rydberg states and an experimental characterization of SAMO excited electronic states for gas‐phase C₆₀ molecules by photoelectron spectroscopy. A large band of 500 excited states was computed using time‐dependent density functional theory. We show that due to their diffuse character, the photoionization widths of the SAMO and Rydberg states are orders of magnitude larger than those of the isoenergetic non‐SAMO excited states. Moreover, in the range of kinetic energies experimentally measured, only the SAMO states photoionize significantly on the timescale of the femtosecond laser experiments. Single photon ionization of the SAMO states dominates the photoelectron spectrum for relatively low laser intensities. The computed photoelectron spectra and photoelectron angular distributions are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Femtosecond photoelectron imaging of transient electronic states and Rydberg atom emission from electronically excited he droplets

Ultrafast relaxation of electronically excited pure He droplets is investigated by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging. Droplets are excited by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses with photon energies below 24 eV. Excited states and relaxation products are probed by ionization with an infrared (IR) pulse with 1.6 eV photon energy. An initially excited droplet state decays on a time scale of 220 fs, leading predominantly to the emission of unaligned 1s3d Rydberg atoms. In a second relaxation channel, electronically aligned 1s4p Rydberg atoms are emitted from the droplet within less than 120 fs. The experimental results are described within a model that approximates electronically excited droplet states by localized, atomic Rydberg states perturbed by the local droplet environment in which the atom is embedded. The model suggests that, below 24 eV, EUV excitation preferentially leads to states that are localized in the surface region of the droplet. Electronically aligned 1s4p Rydberg atoms are expected to originate from excitations in the outermost surface regions, while nonaligned 1s3d Rydberg atoms emerge from a deeper surface region with higher local densities. The model is used to simulate the He droplet EUV absorption spectrum in good agreement with previously reported fluorescence excitation measurements.     

Hydrocarbon clusters from a foil diffusion source

Rydberg states and clusters of Rydberg states have been reported in several cases from high temperature sources, so-called diffusion sources. The present study uses the same technique as the one used for the study of excited Cs clusters (Åmanet al., 1990), and is aimed at highly excited Rydberg cluster formation from hydrogen containing molecules. Ionized clusters from a diffusion source with the graphite foil emitter at 1400 K are studied by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The excited clusters are shown to be ionized by field ionization. The best results are found using ethylene in the source, and the flux from the source probably contains both hydrogen and hydrocarbon species. Typical clusters have a mass of 10,000–200,000 a.u., assuming singly charged clusters. The formation and stabilization (cooling) of such large clusters under the present conditions is only possible since excited states can form a condensed phase, of so called Rydberg matter (Manykinet al., 1981, 1982, Petterssonet al., 1992, Svenssonet al., 1991, 1992). The importance of excited hydrogen containing clusters for the chemistry and physics of interstellar space is pointed out.     

Low-energy dissociative recombination in small polyatomic molecules

Indirect dissociative recombination of low-energy electrons and molecular ions often occurs through capture into vibrationally excited Rydberg states. Properties of vibrational autoionization, the inverse of this capture mechanism, are used to develop some general ideas about the indirect recombination process, and these ideas are illustrated by examples from the literature. In particular, the Δv = -1 propensity rule for vibrational autoionization, i.e., that vibrational autoionization occurs by the minimum energetically allowed change in vibrational quantum numbers, leads to the prediction of thresholds in the dissociative recombination cross sections and rates at the corresponding vibrational thresholds. Capture into rotationally excited Rydberg states is also discussed in terms of recent low-temperature studies of the dissociative recombination of H(3)(+).     

Calculation of doubly excited even strontium states

The perturbation theory with zero order model potential has been successfully used for calculating the spectral characteristics (energies, radiative lifetimes, autoionization widths) of highly excited Rydberg and autoionization states of rare earths. Here, the same method is applied for investigating the 4dns, 4dnd and 4dng doubly excited Rydberg states of Sr. The obtained energies of the states are in good agreement with the experimental data of other authors. The calculation aims to give a more complete and reliable information about the experimentally observed spectra, as well as to predict the location of more highly excited states.     

Adiabatic theory for high Rydberg molecules

Molecules in high Rydberg states, or high Rydberg molecules, are special types of excited species. Classically, at least one of the valence electrons of such molecules is excited to a high-energy near-threshold orbit with a negative eccentricity. Therefore, the electron spends most of its orbiting time on roaming slowly far away from the parent ionic core. With this classical picture in mind, we develop a general adiabatic theory termed the inverse Born-Oppenheimer approximation, in contrast to the conventional Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic theory for molecules in ground or lower excited states, to describe high Rydberg molecules. A thorough theoretical formulation starting from the non-relativistic molecular Hamiltonian and Schrödinger equation is presented with emphasis on the mathematical rigorousness of this theory. Quantitative calculations of the transition rate constants for many radiative and nonradiative processes involved in high Rydberg molecules are shown explicitly.     

Hartree-fock calculations for excited rydberg states

A method is introduced which allows to compute self-consistent restricted Hartree-Fock wave functions for excited Rydberg configurations. The concepts of reorganization and electron correlation of Rydberg states are discussed. As an illustration Hartree-Fock calculations for the (ls)(nl) Rydberg series of He are presented.     

MRD CI calculations of excited states of the SiH3 radical,including potential curves for the inversion mode and the dissociation SiH3 → SiH2 + H

Using the MRD CI method and large basis sets the vertical spectrum of silyl radical (SiH₃) has been calculated. The lowest excited state is the 4s Rydberg state, 41000 cm⁻¹ (5.2 eV) above the ground state. Only one excited valence state (2²E) was encountered, all other states are of Rydberg type. From potential curves for the inversion mode (symmetric bending motion) it was inferred that all Rydberg states are planar, whereas the valence excited state is highly pyramidalized. The investigation of the dissociation reaction SiH₃ → SiH₂ + H leads to the conclusion that the first excited state is dissociative.