General symmetry selection rules for the photoionization of polyatomic molecules

The model for the reproduction of the intensity distributions within ligand-field d-d spectra, presented in the preceding paper, is applied here to 24 chromophores. Eight have approximate tetrahedral geometry, five are trigonal bipyramidal, and eleven are trigonally distorted octahedra. All intensity analyses rest on prior ligand-field analyses which are collected together here, some being reported for the first time. Good reproduction of relative intensities has been achieved for all the four- and five-coordinated complexes and for none of the six-coordinate. It is presumed that the intensities of these latter species are dominated by vibronic mechanisms.     

Synchrotron radiation VUV double photoionization of some small molecules

The VUV double photoionizations of small molecules (NO,CO,CO2 ,CS2 ,OSC and NH3 ) were investigated with photoionization mass spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The double ionization energies of molecules were determined with photoionization efficiency spectroscopy. The total energies of these molecules and their parent dications (NO2+ ,CO2+ ,CO2+2 ,CS2+2 ,OSC2+ and NH2+3 ) were calculated using the Gaussian 03 program and Gaussian 2 calculations. Then,the adiabatic double ionization energies of the molecules were predicated by using high accuracy energy mode. The experimental double ionization energies of these small molecules were all in reasonable agreement with their respective calculated adiabatic double ionization energies. The mechanisms of double photoionization of these molecules were discussed based on a comparison of our experimental results with those predicted theoretically. The equilibrium geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies of molecules and their parent dications were calculated by using the MP2 (full) method. The differences in configurations between these molecules and their parent dications were also discussed on the basis of theoretical calculations.     

Recoil effects in high-energy photoemission beyond single-site approximation

Recoil effects of photoelectrons excited by high-energy X-rays are studied beyond the simplest approximation where elastic scatterings of photoelectrons are completely neglected (single-site approximation). At first we have shown that the simple free atom energy shift is accurately obtained within the harmonic and the single-site approximations. Beyond the single-site approximation, this simple formula does not work, but still simple classically acceptable formula can be used to explain the recoil energy shift. Illustrative numerical calculations show that the energy shifts caused by the photoelectron diffraction amounts to 5–8 meV for graphite-like carbon and about 100 meV for LiI₆${\text{LiI}}_6$ cluster at _?k=5${?}_k=5$–7 keV, and show oscillations as functions of the photoelectron energy. Furthermore we discuss the recoil effects in photoemission from extended levels by use of the tight-binding approach. Our approach naturally provides not only Debye–Waller factors but also the recoil factors. In addition to the phonon excitation, we also study the recoil effects associated with plasmon losses where intrinsic and extrinsic processes can interfere each other. Only the latter can contribute to the recoil energy shift.     

Multiple photoionization of atoms and small molecules by synchrotron radiation

Absorption of one VUV photon by an atom or a molecule can induce the ejection of several electrons through different processes. Such multiple ionization processes, studied by coincidence electron spectroscopy, provide a wealth of information on electron correlations. A magnetic bottle electron time of flight spectrometer implemented on synchrotron radiation centers has allowed the efficient detection in coincidence of two, three and up to five electrons with good energy resolution. The branching ratios of the different processes are easily extracted from the experimental spectra due to the constant transmission of the spectrometer. Multiple Auger decay was observed in rare gases atoms after inner-shell ionization, while core-valence and core-core initial double ionization followed by Auger decay are other pathways to multiple ionization. For molecules, Coulomb explosion with energy released in ionic fragments may occur after multiple ionization, nevertheless, coincidence electron spectroscopy can also provide a clear interpretation for peculiar decay channels in molecules.     

Accurate equilibrium structures for small polyatomic molecules,radicals and carbenes

The paper reports on recent efforts to establish accurate equilibrium structures for small polyatomic molecules, radicals and carbenes most of which are of relevance to interstellar cloud chemistry, combustion processes or atmospheric chemistry. Among these are the well–known interstellar cyanopolyynes HC₃N and HC₅N, members of the series NC_{2 n} N, HC_{2 n ?+?1}P and NC_{2 n} P, linear silicon carbides of type SiC_{2 n} and pure carbon chains up to C₁₄, the radicals HC₃O, HOCO and CH₂CHO as well as cumulene carbenes of type H₂C _n . Whenever possible, a mixed experimental/theoretical procedure is employed which makes use of accurate experimental values for the ground–state rotational constants of a sufficiently large number of different isotopomers plus the results of coupled cluster calculations (variant CCSD(T)). In less favourable cases, the transfer of well–established correction parameters as developed from related smaller molecules appears to be the method of choice.     

Collision-induced rovibrational energy transfer in small polyatomic molecules: the role of intramolecular perturbations

ABSTRACT

Various forms of time-resolved optical double-resonance spectroscopy facilitate rotationally resolved measurements of collision-induced intramolecular vibration-to-vibration (V–V) energy-transfer processes, which take a gas-phase polyatomic molecule from one distinct rovibrational energy level to another. Of longstanding mechanistic interest are questions concerning the extent to which such V–V energy transfer (ET) may be influenced by intramolecular perturbations – notably Fermi resonance (and other anharmonic mixing effects) and Coriolis coupling – within polyatomic molecular rovibrational manifolds of interest. It is evident that quantum-mechanical interference effects can arise, either inhibiting or enhancing the probability of collision-induced ET in perturbed rovibrational manifolds of certain small gas-phase polyatomic molecules, notably CO₂, D₂CO and C₂H₂. This article focuses on a blend of high-resolution rovibrational spectroscopy (characterising initial and final molecular levels and their intramolecular perturbations) and collision dynamics (with colliding molecules defined in terms of isolated-molecule spectroscopic basis states). It aims to offer fresh insights and to consider some apparent mechanistic anomalies (e.g. collision-induced quasi-continuous background effects in the 4ν_CH rovibrational manifold of C₂H₂). Various reported experiments and related theoretical treatments are critically re-examined, in order to pose and address mechanistic questions some of which still challenge detailed understanding.     

Excitation of polyatomic molecules by radiation

An elementary procedure for calculating quantum mechanically the time-dependent rotation-vibration wave function for a collisionless model of a polyatomic molecule in a monochromatic radiation field is described and applied to some very simple cases. It is concluded that molecules can in principle be strongly and selectively excited at radiation intensities which are too low to produce appreciable excitation in classical calculations. The excitation process is a coherent multi-photon Rabi precession between two discrete levels followed by a transition to a quasi-continuum of vibration-rotation states.     

Renner parameters of isotopic polyatomic molecules

From a consideration of the form of the bending potential in internal coordinates for a ¹Π electronic state of a linear molecule, the equations for calculating the bending vibrational frequencies and Renner parameters of different isotopic molecules are obtained, and relations connecting the Renner parameters of different isotopes are derived. The recent results for the [Gtilde] ¹Π _u and [Htilde] ¹Π _u states of acetylene isotopes [5] are consistent with the theory, but it is not possible at present to determine the sign of ε₅₅ for the [Htilde] ¹Π _u state from the C₂HD isotope effect on ε₄₄.     

Infrared multiphoton excitation of polyatomic molecules

Results of investigations of the process of multiphoton excitation of polyatomic molecules by CO₂-laser radiation are presented. The mechanism of formation of the profiles of IR absorption bands of polyatomic molecules is discussed. New experimental methods of investigation of relaxation processes at high levels of vibrational excitation of molecules in the ground and triplet states are considered. For vapors of polyatomic molecules and their mixtures with foreign gases, the quantitative characteristics of the collisional exchange and the vibrational-energy transfer as well as the rates of intercombinational conversion ⇛ and triplet-triplet transfer are presented and their dependences on the vibrational-excitation level are discussed. Institute of Molecular and Atomic Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 70, F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 5, pp. 675–693, September–October, 1998.     

Field-free three-dimensional alignment of polyatomic molecules

We experimentally demonstrate field-free, three-dimensional alignment (FF3DA) of polyatomic asymmetric top molecules. We achieve FF3DA in sulfur dioxide gas using two time-delayed, orthogonally polarized, nonresonant, femtosecond laser pulses. Our method avoids the use of rotational revivals and is therefore more robust to temperature. The alignment is probed using time-delayed coincidence Coulomb explosion imaging. FF3DA will be important for all molecular imaging, dynamics, or spectroscopy experiments for which random alignment leads to a loss of information.     

Forbidden rotational spectra of polyatomic molecules

Some of the pure rotational transitions of polyatomic molecules that are forbidden according to the rigid rotor selection rules may acquire intensity by a centrifugal distortion mechanism, in which the intensity depends on the dipole derivatives and on the displacements in the normal coordinates produced by centrifugal distortion. The structures of the predicted spectra are discussed for nonpolar molecules belonging to the point groups D_3h, D_n (n > 2), D_2d, and T_d. Some of the calculated R-branch lines of methane are stronger than some of the lines of HD already observed in the same frequency range. For polar molecules extra contributions to the intensity must be considered and are exemplified for the Δk = ±3 transitions of C_3v molecules. These forbidden rotational transitions may have some astrophysical importance.     

Multiple photon infrared processes in polyatomic molecules

This paper reviews current understanding of the process of multiple photon excitation and dissociation of polyatomic molecules, whereby in the presence of an intense infrared laser field a molecule may absorb upwards of 30 photons. The application of this process to new photochemistry and in particular laser isotope separation will also be discussed.     

The onset of coulomb explosions in polyatomic molecules

With the development of high intensity femtosecond lasers, the ionisation and dissociation dynamics of molecules has become an area of considerable interest. Using the technique of femtosecond laser mass spectrometry (FLMS), the molecules carbon disulphide, pyrimidine, toluene, cyclohexanone and benzaldehyde are studied with pulse widths of 50 fs in the near infrared (IR) wavelength region (790 nm). Results are presented and contrasted for laser beam intensities around 10(15) and 10(16) W cm(-2). For the lower intensities, the mass spectra yield dominant singly charged parent ions. Additionally, the appearance of doubly charged parent ions is evident for carbon disulphide, toluene and benzaldehyde with envelopes of doubly charged satellite species existing in these local regions. Carbon disulphide also reveals a small triply charged component. Such atomic-like features are thought to be a strong fingerprint of FLMS at these intensities. However, upon increasing the laser intensity to approximately 10(16) W cm(-2), parent ion dominance decreases and the appearance of multiply charged atomic species occurs, particularly carbon. This phenomenon has been attributed to Coulomb explosions in which the fast absorption of many photons may produce transient highly ionised parent species which can subsequently blow apart. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Attosecond control in photoionization of hydrogen molecules

We report experiments where hydrogen molecules were dissociatively ionized by an attosecond pulse train in the presence of a near-infrared field. Fragment ion yields from distinguishable ionization channels oscillate with a period that is half the optical cycle of the IR field. For molecules aligned parallel to the laser polarization axis, the oscillations are reproduced in two-electron quantum simulations, and can be explained in terms of an interference between ionization pathways that involve different harmonic orders and a laser-induced coupling between the 1sσ(g) and 2pσ(u) states of the molecular ion. This leads to a situation where the ionization probability is sensitive to the instantaneous polarization of the molecule by the IR electric field and demonstrates that we have probed the IR-induced electron dynamics with attosecond pulses.     

Kinetics of dipole moments of polyatomic molecules

The relations that link the time dependences of the dipole moments of the ground and excited states of a molecular system whose charge distribution is nonstationary with the correlation functions of the shift of the absorption and emission spectra of this system are derived on the basis of of the well-known equations of solvatochromism. The calculated dependences of the kinetics of the dipole moments of the excited singlet states of dimethylaminobenzonitrile and 4-dimethylamino-4′-cyanostilbene in some polar solvents are presented.     

Fluorescence of binary mixtures of polyatomic molecules

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 50, No. 5, pp. 741–745, May, 1989.     

Pulsed Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules

Doppler-free two-photon electronic spectra of a large polyatomic molecule are recorded for the first time with pulsed laser radiation of near Fourier-transform limited bandwidth (Δv～100 MHz). The resolution obtained is sufficient to resolve individual rotational lines. Due to the high density of these rotational transitions a strong Doppler-broadened background is observed, which is, however, subtantially reduced by suitable choice of photon polarizations. Different vibronic bands of benzene (C₆H₆) are investigated and very accurate rotational constants are found.