Theoretical study of Na(4p2P) + Na(3s2S) and Cd(5p3P0) + Na(3s2S) collisions and their role in the energy transfer between Cd.* and Na

We have computed the cross sections for the energy transfer process Cd(5p³P₀) + Na(3s²S) → Cd(5s¹S) + Na(4p²P) and for the state changing collision Na(4p²P) + Na(3s²S) → Na(3d²D) + Na(3s²S), based on theoretical interaction potentials for the NaCd and Na2 systems, respectively. Our calculations shed light on the interpretation of experiments with laser excited Na+Cd vapour mixtures [1]. It turns out that Cd(5p³P₀), in rapid equilibrium with the doorway state Cd(5p³P₁), efficiently transfers energy to Na, populating the 4p²P state. The collisions with ground state Na cause a very fast conversion of the 4p³P₁ to the 3d²D state, from which the strongest emission is observed.     

Laser-induced photoionization of Ar2(3Σu+) at 308 nm

Experimental evidence is provided to show that the Ar₂(³Σ⁺_u) excimer is photoionized by absorption of light at 308 nm. This direct photoionization of Ar₂(³Σ⁺_u) was used to measure the distribution of atomic states belonging to the Ar(3p⁵4p) electronic manifold produced in dissociative recombination of Ar₂⁺(²Σ_u⁺) at atmospheric pressure. It was found that electronically excited states, Ar(2p₂) and Ar(2p₁₀), accounted for 96% of the excited state population of the Ar(3p⁵4p) configuration produced in dissociative recombination. The Ar₂(³Σ_u⁺) state is also photodissociated directly at 308 nm producing electronically excited Ar atoms more energetic than the Ar(3p⁵4p) configuration.     

Accurate time-resolved laser spectroscopy on lithium atoms

The lifetime of the lithium 2p ² P states has been measured with high accuracy using the delayed coincidence technique with a continuous mode-locked dye laser as the source of the excitation light. The value 27.22 (0.20) ns was obtained. In addition, the hyperfine structure of the⁷Li 2p ² P _3/2 state, which can normally scarcely be resolved, has been studied by recording the slow quantum beats at zero field and the very fast beats in the Paschen-Back regime. New accurate values for the²³Na 3p ² P _3/2 state hyperfine structure constants are also presented.     

Effect of the exchange integral K2s2p on the 2p-orbitals of the 1P and 3P states of the beryllium isoelectronic sequence arising from the configuration (1s)2(2s)(2p)

The ¹P and ³P states arising from the configuration (1s)²(2s)(2p) of the Be isoelectronic sequence are investigated. In the single configuration approximation, the energies of the two states are expressed as E⁰ + K_2s2p and E⁰ - K_2s2p, respectively. K_2s2p is the exchange integral between the 2s and 2p electrons and E⁰ is the energy of a model in which K_2s2p is deleted. First we calculate the 2s- and 2p-orbitals in this model. Second, by taking account of K_2s2p in this model, effects of this term on the 2p-orbitals in the ^1,3P states are investigated. In this manner, an explanation is given for the following facts which are obtained from a minimal Slater-type orbital set; (1) for Be and B⁺, the 2p-orbital of the ¹P state is broader than that of the ³P state; (2) for C²⁺, the extension of the 2p-orbital in the two states is almost the same; (3) for O⁴⁺ and Ne⁶⁺, in contrast to Be and B⁺, the 2p-orbital of the ¹P state is tighter than that of the ³P state.     

An improved laser vaporization cluster source and time-of-flight mass spectrometer

The radiative lifetimes of the 7p ² P _{3/2, 1/2} states of silver and the hyperfine structure of the 7p ² P _3/2 state have been measured using pulsed laser excitation and direct observation of the induced fluorescence light decay. In order to excite this doublet, VUV radiation at 185 nm was applied, as generated by frequency tripling and anti-Stokes Raman shifting of the output of a Nd: YAG laser pumped dye laser. The lifetimes were found to be τ=255(20) ns and τ=285(25) ns for theJ=3/2 state andJ=1/2 state, respectively. The hyperfine structure of the 7p ² P _3/2 state was measured by the quantum beat method. The magnetic dipole interaction constant for the¹⁰⁷Ag isotope was found to bea=?4.5(2) MHZ.     

Collision spectroscopy with aligned and oriented atoms

Neutralisation processes in 0.15–1.5 keV collisions of H^? with Na atoms in the 3s ground state or in the excited 3p state have been investigated by means of time-of-flight analysis of the neutral H atoms produced. The H^? - Na(3p) system, investigated here for the first time, is particularly interesting since the entrance channel is embedded in the [H - Na(3s)] +e ^? continuum, enabling Penning detachment to occur. The measured relative neutralisation cross section ratios σ(3p)/σ(3s) decrease from 3 to 1.6 with increasing energy. Based on earlier published results for σ(3s), σ(3p) total cross sections exceeding 100 Ų are estimated.     

Multiphoton dissociation of some aromatic molecules. Formation of atomic carbon in the 2p21S0 excited state

Carbon atoms in the high energy metastable state 2p^{2 1}S⁰ have been detected for the first time in multiphoton dissociation of some aromatic molecules, using tunable laser light in the region of 380 to 393 nm. The detection is based on the two-photon resonances2p ¹S₀ → → 3p¹D₂ and 2p¹S₀ → → 3p¹S₀ three-photon ionization of atomic carbon, following the dissociation of the molecule, during the same laser pulse. The results are of particular interest in the field of nonlinear photochemistry.     

Alignment of atomic autoionizing states created by slow Na++He collisions

Ejected-electron spectra have been measured for collisions of He-atoms with Na⁺-ions, whose impact energy ranged from 1.7 to 7.0 keV. The ion impact-energy dependence of the angular-differential cross-section of the ejected electrons has been investigated for an aligned autoionizing state Na**(2p ⁵ 3s ^{2 2} P), which has been created by charge transfer from the He-atoms. The alignment of the autoionizing state Na**(2p ⁵ 3s ^{2 2} P) is discussed in relation to the scattering angles of the Na⁺-ions. A complete longitudinal alignment has been observed with respect to the quasimolecular axis.     

Influence of alkyl substituents on the π* negative ion states of benzene and its derivatives : Electron transmission spectroscopy of p-alkylanilines

Electron affinities and electron attachment energies associated with the π^* orbitals of several p-alkylanilines (alkyl = Me, Et, i-Pr, and t-Bu) have been determined in the gas phase by electron transmission spectroscopy and have been analyzed by ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the STO-3G and 6-31G levels of basis set. The results lead to the conclusions that (a) the ²A₂ negative ion state in toluene lies below the ²B₁ state, (b) the ²A₂ state is stabilized in toluene relative to benzene by bonding overlap between the ortho carbon (C₂(2p_π)) and the Me H(1s) orbitals in the LUMO, (c) the ²B₁ state is stabilized on adding Me groups to toluene to form t-butylbenzene through reduced antibonding interactions between C₁(2p_π) and Me C(2p_π) orbitals, and (d) the lowest resonance in t-butylbenzene is extensively overlapped with the second resonance and may involve strong mixing of the ²A₂ and ²B₁ states.     

Lifetime of 2s2p 23s 3 P in N II and other allowed triplet transitions

Systematic transition calculations have been performed for all triplet decay channels from 2s2p ²3s ³ P of N II. The lifetime of 0.505 ns compares favourably with experiment. Transitions in absorption from the 2s ²2p ^{2 3} P ground state have also been determined along with a number of other triplet transitions. Length and velocity forms of thef-value are in agreement at the 2–3% level for most transitions.     

Kinetic study of electronically excited silicon atoms,Si(3p2(1S0)), by time-resolved attenuation of atomic resonance radiation

The collisional behaviour of electronically excited silicon atoms in the 3p²(¹S₀) state, 1.909 eV above the 3p²(³P₀) ground state, is investigated by time-resolved attenuation of atomic resonance radiation at λ = 390.53 nm (4s(¹P^o₁)←3p² (¹S₀)). The optically metastable Si(3¹S₀) atoms were generated by the repetitive pulsed irradiation of SiCl₄ and their decay monitored in the presence of added gases. Absolute quenching rate constants (k_Q, cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, 300 K) are reported for the following collision partners: He (?1.3 × 10^?15), SiCl₄ ((9.1 ± 1.4) × 10^?11), O₂ ((1.5 ± 0.2) × 10^?11) and N₂O ((4.3 ± 0.4) × 10^?11). The results for O₂ and N₂O are compared with analogous data reported hitherto for Si(3p²(³P_J)) and with those for the other np²(¹S₀) states of the group IV atoms C, Ge, Sn and Pb. The rate data for the silicon atoms are considered in terms of the nature of the potential surfaces arising from symmetry arguments based on the weak spin orbit coupling approximation.     

Geometrically active atomic states and the formation of molecules in their normal shapes

We present a theory of molecular formation according to which the shape of polyhedral or coordination compounds is fixed to a very good approximation by the shape of a particular state (or states) of the central atom, which is activated by spin and spacial coupling of optimal strength between this state, called the geometrically active atomic state (GAAS) and the state of the ligands. For a molecule with a central atom, spacial coupling of optimal strength, means that the shape of the GAAS fixes the position of the ligands according to the maximum overlap principle of the Heitler–London, Slater, and Pauling theory of covalent bonding, whereby much of the energy lowering from the free atom limit is obtained by the maximization of the contribution of the exchange integrals. Hence, a direct causal relationship between the shape of the GAAS and the shape of the molecular state at equilibrium seems to exist. This relationship implies a picture of diabatic connection between the geometrically asymptotic region and the equilibrium region, which is driven by the coupled GAAS and provides the “why” of molecular shape. Since the latter is fixed by the shape of the GAAS (in cases of electronic complexity or of molecular instability it is possible that more than one GAAS contribute simultaneously), prediction of the shape of certain large systems can be made based on the a priori recognition of the corresponding GAAS. The concept of the shape of atomic states defined and computed quantum mechanically from the probability distribution ϱ(cos θ₁₂) of the angle θ₁₂ that the position vectors of two electrons form in the given atomic state. Specifically, it is deduced from the distribution's maxima which provide the most probable values of θ₁₂. As shown previously [Y. Komninos and C. A. Nicolaides, Phys. Rev. A 50 , 3782 (1994)], ϱ(cos θ₁₂) is obtainable directly from the state-specific expression for the Coulomb interaction, where the R^k integrals are replaced by Legendre polynomials P_k, multiplied by normalization constants and radial overlaps. The theory is demonstrated by explaining the shape of BeH₂, BH₂, CH₄, SiH₄, H₂O, H₂S, NH₃, PH₃, SF₆, and TiH₄ in terms of the shapes of the following GAAS. Be: 2s2p ³P⁰, B: 2s2p^{2 4}P, C: 2s2p^{3 5}S⁰, Si: 3s3p^{3 5}S⁰, O: 2s2p^{5 3}P⁰, S: 3s²3p³3d ³P⁰, N: 2s2p^{4 4}P, P: 3s3p³3d ⁴P⁰, S: 3s3p³3d^{2 7}F⁰, and Ti: 3d²4s4p ⁵G⁰. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 67: 321–328, 1998     

Calculations on bound and autoionizing states,and continuum radiative properties for Li− and Na−

Semi-empirical model potential calculations have been performed for bound and continuum properties of Li^? and Na^?. The calculated electron affinities of the 2s²¹S state of Li^? and the 3s²¹S and 3p²³P^e states of Na^? are in agreement with the calculations of Norcross and with experimental data. Positions of possible autoionizing states are calculated using projection and root stabilization methods. The Stieltjes imaging method of Langhoff is employed to compute the photodetachment cross sections of Li^? and Na^? and the results are in excellent agreement with the close-coupling calculations of Moores and Norcross. A comparison of variational and numerical results for the coupled time-dependent Hartree-Fock photoionization of helium shows that good Stieltjes imaging results can be obtained with a very small basis set for the variational calculation. The continuous photoemission profile for the 3p²³P^e state of Na^? is also obtained.     

A Quantum Chemical Study of C<Subscript>60</Subscript>Cl<Subscript>30</Subscript>, C<Subscript>60</Subscript>(OH)<Subscript>30</Subscript> Molecules and Fe@C<Subscript>60</Subscript>(OH)<Subscript>30</Subscript> Endocomplex

(U)PBE0/cc-pVDZ method is used to study the structure of C₆₀Cl₃₀, C₆₀(OH)₃₀ molecules and Fe@C₆₀(OH)₃₀ endocomplex. The triplet state of the endocomplex is shown to be the lowest in energy among its four states corresponding to different spin multiplicities and positions of Fe nucleus within the fullerene cavity. This state is characterized by bonding between the iron atom and one of two benzenoid cycles of the carbon cage, six internuclear Fe–C distances (208 pm), and 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶3d^7.24s^0.14p^0.3 electron configuration of iron with spin population of 2.36.     

Stark-mixing effect on the 6p 2 1 S 0−6p 2 3 P 2 transition in Pb I

The intensity of the 531.5 nm electric-field-quench radiation has been measured on a thermal beam of neutral Pb atoms in the metastable 6p ^{2 1} S ₀ state. The measurement yields a Stark-mixing amplitude for transition between the 6p ^{2 1} S ₀ and 6p ^{2 3} P ₂ states. Combining this result with available experimental data sets an upper limit for the 6p 7s ³ P ₁ → 6p ^{2 1} S ₀ transition probability:A _ki <1.79·10³ s ^?1. Calculations for the 6p 7s → 6p ² and 6p 8s → 6p ², as well as transition rates of forbidden lines inside 6p ² configuration of PbI are presented and compared with existing experimental data.     

Large-scale MCHF calculations of hyperfine structures in nitrogen and oxygen

The hyperfine structure constants for the 1s ²2s ²2p ³ -⁴ S ^o ground state in nitrogen and the 1s ²2s ²2p ³3s ⁵ S ^o excited state in oxygen are calculated using the MCHF Atomic Structure Package. The single excitation picture is explored through the use of compact wave functions allowing radial non-orthogonalities. Electron correlation is described through numerical multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock calculations for configuration expansions obtained by allowing all single and double excitations from the reference configuration to an active set of orbitals. The latter is increased in a systematic way allowing the convergence of the hyperfine parameters to be studied. Three- and four-particle effects are shown to be important and are taken into account in a sequence of large configuration interaction calculations. The final results are in good agreement with experiment.     

On the energy difference between the lP and 3P states of the beryllium isoelectronic sequence

Wave functions of the ¹S (ground state), ³P and ¹P states for the beryllium isoelectronic sequence have been obtained in various approximations. The HF ²p orbitals for the ¹P and ³P states are similar except for Be, where the ²p orbital is quite diffuse for the ¹P state. The difference between the experimental E(¹P) – E(³P) and the HF E(¹P) – E(³P) is 0.62 eV for Be and 1.17 ～ 1.40 eV for B⁺ ～ F⁵⁺. The disagreements are attributed to the correlation effects between the 2s and 2p electrons. This is confirmed by ci calculations. It is shown that a limited basis SCF calculation reproduces the above feature of the HF results if we treat the orbital exponents as the variational parameters. The use of the Slater values for the orbital exponents is shown to be inadequate especially for the Be ¹P state. The conclusions of this paper will be useful for discussing the V–T separations of H₂ and C₂H₄.     

A Room‐Temperature Luminescent AgCF3COO Complex Consisting of Cationic Complex Chains and Anionic Guests

Reaction of p‐phenylenediacetonitrile (p‐phda) with AgCF₃COO afforded the coordination polymer, {[Ag₂(p‐phda)₂] [Ag₄(CF₃COO)₆]}_n ( 1 ), where the 1D cationic [Ag₂(p‐phda)₂]²⁺ chain acts as host and the anionic [Ag₄(CF₃COO)₆]^2– as guest molecules occupy the channel between neighboring host chains. This is a rare crystal example of AgCF₃COO complex consisting of cationic complex chains and anionic guests. In addition, complex 1 exhibits luminescence at room temperature in solid state.     

Crystal-field splitting in the M11,111 spectra of Co(II) compounds

We have analyzed part of the M_11,111 absorption spectra of the compounds CoF₂, CoCl₂, CoBr₂, Co(acac)₂ as due to the crystal-field splitting of a ⁴G state arising from the configuration 3p⁵3d⁸.