Semidiffuse states of diatomic molecules: Configuration interaction studies of the lowest 2Σ+ and 2Δ states of NS,SiF, and CCl

It has been shown by ab initio configuration-interaction methods that the lowest ²Σ⁺ states of NS and SiF are ‘semidiffuse’ states, like the B ²Σ⁺ state of PO. The lowest ²Σ⁺ state of CCl also appears to be semidiffuse, although here the situation is not so clear. Semidiffuse states require diffuse orbitals in the wavefunction, but they are not Rydberg states. The second ²Σ⁺ state of each molecule is shown to be the lowest ns Rydberg state, whereas the third ²Σ⁺ state is a valence state for NS and CCl, and a 4po Rydberg state for SiF. The lowest ²δ state of each molecule derives from the 7σ → 3π valence configuration. Comparison with available experimental information shows, in general, good agreement.     

Electronically excited and ionized states of the chlorine molecule

Potentials curves for the ground and excited states of the chlorine molecules and its positive and negative ions have been calculated by means of the MRD-CI method. The standard AO basis employed consists of 74 functions including two atomic d and one set of s and p bond species, and the results at the corresponding full CI level are estimated for each state via a perturbation correction. Special emphasis is placed upon the treatment of Rydberg-valence mixing in this system, which phenomenon is found to be essential to the understanding of Cl₂ electronic absorption spectrum. All singlet states which correlate with the lowest dissociation limit plus many others which go to ionic Cl⁺+Cl^? or Rydberg Cl+Cl asymptotes are given explicit consideration. Among the triplet species of Cl₂ which dissociate into the ground state atoms only the ³Π_u state is not repulsive. The calculated D₀ value for the ground state is 2.455 eV compared to the experimental value of 2.475 eV, while the vertical ionization energy and electron affinity are found to be 11.48 and 2.38 eV respectively, also in very good agreement with the corresponding measured data of 11.50 and 2.51 ± 0.1 eV. In addition to Cl₂ laser line is confirmed to result from a ³Π_g → ³Π_u emission, whereby the calculated downward vertical transition energy of 4.86 eV fits in quite well with the known location of this line at 4.805 eV. The first two dipole-allowed transitions from the ground state of chlorine involve ¹Σ_u⁺ and ¹Π_u states which are calculated to be nearly isoenergetic, and these results also match very well with the location of the first absorption band in this spectrum. Finally quite similarly as in O₂ it is found that an avoided crossing between Rydberg and valences states produces a relatively steep potential well for an upper state (2 ¹Σ_u⁺), whose location concides with that of a second absorption band recently observed in synchrotron radiation studies.     

Expanded electronic states of the fluorine molecule

Potential curves of electronically excited states of F₂ with an expanded outer orbital have been calculated using a modified frozen core technique: The ionic core has been described with a two-determinant wave function and for the excited states a mixing of configurations with different cores has been employed. An investigation of the valence shell states of F₂ is presented and potential curves for a singly excited as well as a doubly excited V-state of ¹Σ_u⁺ symmetry have been calculated. Further a low lying two-configuration state resulting from simultaneous excitation to a valence and a Rydberg orbital is predicted.     

Deactivation of O2(A3Σ) by O2, O,and Ar

O₂ in the A³Σ_u⁺ state has been prepared in a discharge flow system by recombining oxygen atoms on a nickel surface. The decay of this excited state was followed by observing the emission between 280 and 400 nm. The wall deactivation was observed to approach unit efficiency. Rate constants were determined to be 0.9 × 10^?11, 2.9 × 10^?13, and 8.6 × 10^?16 cm³/molecule sec for the quenching of O₂(A³Σ_u⁺) by O, O₂, and Ar, respectively.     

Rydberg and valence-shell character as functions of internuclear distance in some excited states of CH,NH, H2, and N2

SCF MO computations have been carried out on several excited states of CH and NH in which the excited MO 4σ is a Rydberg or near-Rydberg MO at internuclear distances R near that (R_e) of equilibrium in the ground state, but becomes an antibonding valence-shell MO as R increases toward dissociation. For the lowest ³Π_g state of H₂ and the lowest ³Π_g and ³Π_u states of N₂ the extent of 3dπ Rydberg character in the excited MO as a function of R for some R values ? R_e is evaluated by SCF MO computations.     

Nature of the resonant states of NO−

The stabilization method of Taylor has been used to calculate the nature of the states of NO^? corresponding to the lowest resonances observed recently by Sanche and Schulz. It is confirmed that they consist of two Rydberg electrons in the core of the X ¹Σ⁺ ground state of the ion. The proposed assignments are the (Rsσ)²¹Σ⁺, (Rsσ)(Rpπ) ³Π, (Rsσ)(Rpσ) ³Σ⁺ states. The fourth resonance is attributed to an (Rpπ)²³Σ⁺ state. The Rydberg or of these states of the negative ion are more diffuse than the corresponding ones of the neutral molecule.     

Electronic states of Al2

Ab initio multi-configuration self-consistent field and first-order configuration interaction (FOCI) calculations in an extended basis set have been carried out for the lower energy electronic states of Al₂. The ten core electrons of each Al atom were replaced by an accurate compact effective core potential. The FOCI calculated T_o value for the ³Σ_g^?-³Σ_u^? transition agrees with the experimentally observed emission band to within 90 cm^?1. ³Π_u is calculated to be the electronic ground state of Al₂. Based on FOCI energies and qualitative intensity arguments, the reported optical absorption spectrum of matrix isolated Al₂ also agrees best with a ³Π_u ground state. The ³Σ_g^?1 state is calculated (T_e) at only 324 cm^?1 above the ³Π_u state, and the ¹ΣE_g⁺ state is predicted to lie higher.     

Long- and intermediate-range interaction in three lowest sigma states of the HeH+ ion

Accurate variational energies have been calculated for three lowest sigma states of the HeH⁺ ion. This includes the ground state (5 ≤ R ≤ 9 a.u.) which dissociates into He + H⁺, as well as the A ¹Σ⁺ state (4 ≤ R ≤ 10) and the a ³Σ⁺ state (3 ≤ R ≤ 10) which both dissociate into He⁺ + H. The variational results are compared with those obtained using a perturbation theory expansion.     

Spectroscopic constants and molecular properties of A3Σu+, B3Πg,W3Δu,and B′3Σu− electronic states of the N2 molecule

The potential energy curves (PECs) of A³Σ, B³Π_g, W³Δ_u, and B^′3Σ electronic states of the N₂ molecule have been studied for internuclear separations from 0.05 to 2.0 nm using the full valence complete active space self‐consistent‐field method followed by the highly accurate valence internally contracted multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) approach in conjunction with the correlation‐consistent basis sets. Effects on the PECs by the core–valence correlation and relativistic corrections are taken into account. The way to consider the relativistic correction is to use the second‐order Douglas‐Kroll Hamiltonian approximation. The core–valence correlation correction is made with the cc‐pCV5Z basis set. And the relativistic correction is performed at the level of cc‐pV5Z basis set. To obtain more reliable results, the PECs determined by the MRCI calculations are also corrected for size‐extensivity errors by the Davidson modification (MRCI+Q). These PECs are extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. The spectroscopic parameters of ¹⁴N₂, ¹⁴N¹⁵N, and ¹⁵N₂ isotopologs have been evaluated and compared with those reported in the literature. Excellent agreement has been found between the present results and the Rydberg‐Klein‐Rees (RKR) data. With the PECs obtained by the MRCI+Q/CV+DK+56 calculations, the first 30 vibrational states for three species are computed for each electronic state. And for each electronic state of each species, the vibrational level G(ν), inertial rotation constant B_ν, and centrifugal distortion constant D_ν have been determined, which agree well with the RKR data. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Potential energy curves and spectral properties for electronic states of F2 and F+2

Potential energy (PE) curves for the Rydberg states of F₂, and for the ground and lowest two electronic states each of symmetry ²Π_g,u, ²Δ_g,u and ²Σ^±_g,u of F⁺₂, have been obtained using modest-sized configuration-interaction calculations. These PE curves have been used to calculate spectroscopic constants for the electronic states and the results agree reasonably well with the limited experimental and theoretical results previously reported. The theoretical PE curves for the Rydberg states of F₂ are found to be strongly perturbed by valence-Rydberg-ionic interactions and these perturbations appear to be responsible for certain features in recently reported electron energy-loss spectra in F₂. The corresponding electronic wavefunctions have been used to calculate the electronic transition moment, as a function of the internuclear distance, for dipole-allowed transitions between the lowest excited electron state of each symmetry and the appropriate ground electronic state. The radiative emission probabilities, natural lifetimes, and absorption oscillator strengths, for each band system, are also reported here. The predicted lifetimes for vibrational levels of the A ²Π_u of electronic state in F⁺₂ vary from 1.3–1.5 μs and agree reasonably well with the single available set of measurements. The predicted radiative lifetimes for the higher electronic states of F⁺₂ are substantially longer and fall into the range 5–100 ms.     

Dissociation patterns in N2O following electron impact

A number of dissociation channels in N₂0 have been observed by time-of-flight spectroscopy following electron impact excitation. The metastable atoms and molecules produced were directly detected. Excited N₂ molecules were produced in the A³Σ_u⁺, B³Π_g and B′³Σ_u^? states in conjunction with ground state oxygen atoms. A number of additional dissociation channels were monitored by observing the production of oxygen and nitrogen atoms in Rydberg states. The results indicate the existence of potential minima in some of the repulsive surfaces involved.     

Spectroscopic constants and molecular properties of the X2Π and a4Σ− electronic states of the SiF radical

The potential energy curves (PECs) of the X²Π and a⁴Σ^? electronic states of the SiF radical have been studied by an ab initio quantum chemical method. The calculations have been made using the complete active space self‐consistent field (CASSCF) method, which is followed by the valence internally contracted multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) approach in combination with several correlation‐consistent basis sets. The effects on the PECs by the core‐valence correlation and relativistic corrections are included. The way to consider the relativistic correction is to use the third‐order Douglas–Kroll Hamiltonian approximation. The relativistic corrections are made at the level of cc‐pV5Z basis set. The core‐valence correlation corrections are performed using the cc‐pCV5Z basis set. To obtain more reliable results, the PECs determined by the MRCI calculations are also corrected for size‐extensivity errors by means of the Davidson modification (MRCI+Q). These PECs are extrapolated to the complete basis set limit by the total‐energy extrapolation scheme. Using these PECs, the spectroscopic parameters are determined and compared with those reported in the literature. With these PECs obtained by the MRCI+Q/CV+DK+56 calculations, the vibrational levels, inertial rotation, and centrifugal distortion constants of the first 20 vibrational state of each electronic state are calculated when the rotational quantum number J equals zero. Comparison with the Rydberg‐Klein‐Rees (RKR) data shows that the present results are reliable and accurate. The molecular constants of the X²Π and a⁴Σ^? electronic states determined by the MRCI+Q/CV+DK+56 calculations should be good prediction for future laboratory experiment. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

On the origin of energy barriers in the excited states of He2

The A ¹Σ⁺_u and C ¹Σ⁺_g states of He₂ have been examined using self-consistent (spatially projected) generalized valence bond (GVB) wavefunctions. We find both states to have humps (0.06 and 0.22 eV, respectively) at large R (3.1 Å and 2.1 Å, respectively). The repulsive nature of these states at large R results from non-bonding interactions between the singlet pairs of orbitals located on different centers. For R smaller than the size of the excited He orbital (2s or 2p), the state becomes attractive if the symmetry is such that the wavefunction can build in attractive He⁺₂(²Σ⁺_u) character.     

Ab initio MRD CI calculations for the electron spectrum of the C3 radical

Calculations using the MRD CI method are reported for the ground and low lying excited states of C₃. Transitions from the 3σ_u, 4σ_g and 1π_u MO's into 1π_g are considered, as well as the 1π_u → 3s Rydberg species and the corresponding ionization, and good agreement with experimental data is obtained where comparison is possible. Potential curves calculated for the ground and (1π_u → 1π_g) ¹Σ⁺_u excited state are discussed.     

Density of states due to donor-pair molecules in three- and two-dimensional semiconductor systems

The density of states is calculated for a random distribution of donor-pairs of hydrogenlike impurities in three- and two-dimensional systems. Recent investigations of the hydrogen molecule in the alternant–molecular–orbital approximation are here extended. We found that the lowest excited state ¹Σu (i.e., H⁺H^?), which is optically connected to the ground state, plays a relevant role in the absorption spectra of semiconductor systems.     

On xenon molecule excited state lifetimes

Time-resolved excitation spectra of xenon vapor in the 150 nm region are analysed in terms of four main fluorescence lifetimes corresponding to decays of four stable excited electronic states of the Xe dimer. The two shortest decay times, ≈ 2 ns and ≈ 60 ns, are assigned to the direct radiative relaxation of the two lowest excited ungerade states, (¹Σ⁺_u)0⁺_u and (³Σ⁺_u))1 u respectively. The two longest decay times, ≈ 150 ns and ≈ 500 ns, must correspond to the overall depopulation rates of the two lowest excited gerade states, (³Σ⁺_g)1g and (¹Σ⁺_g)0⁺_g, decaying into the gerade ground state by cascading down through the intermediate ungerade states.     

Theoretical determination of the X 2Σ+ and A 2Π potentials of CsO using relativistic effective core potentials

Theoretical potential energy curves are computed for the X ²Σ⁺ and A ²Π states of CsO using a relativistic effective core potential and a large valence Gaussian basis set. Seventeen electrons are correlated by a CI (SD ) calculation from each HF reference. We find the X ²Σ⁺ state lower by 497 and 726 cm^?1 at the HF and CI(SD) levels. Our calculated ω_e of 312 cm^?1 for the X ²Σ⁺ state agrees well with experimental values deduced from studies in matrices.     

Spectroscopic properties and potential energy curves of some low-lying electronic states of AlO,AlO+, LaO,and LaO+: An ab initio CASSCF study

Results of CASSCF state-averaged calculations on the lowest electronic states of LaO and LaO⁺ are reported in this work. For comparison, some low-lying electronic states of AlO and AlO⁺ are also reported. The ground state of LaO was found to be the X²Σ⁺ (R_e = 1.987 Å, ω_e = 794 cm^?1) with a low-lying A²Δ excited state. Five more excited states below 26000 cm^?1 were found. The first ionization potential (IP ) is found at 5.16 eV, resulting in an X¹Σ⁺ ground state for the LaO⁺ diatom, in opposition to AlO⁺ for which an X³ Π ground state has been found. Analysis of the wave functions, dipole moments, and Mulliken populations reveal that the bonding is quite ionic in both systems. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.