Quantum mechanical analysis of resonance Raman spectra of thymine

A direct quantum mechanical calculation of the relative intensities of lines in resonance Raman (RR) spectra of thymine was performed. The method of calculation is based on the adiabatic model in the Herzberg-Teller approximation. It is shown that the basic features of the intensity distribution in the spectra can be explained only by taking into account the vibronic mixing of electronic states and the contribution to the components of the scattering tensor from excited electronic states located close to the resonance state. The calculated results agree satisfactorily with experimental RR spectra of thymine excited by laser radiation at 266, 240, 218, and 200 nm. A comparative analysis of the intensity distribution in the RR spectra of thymine and uracil is carried out.