Search

International audience; We use three independent spectroscopic techniques, operating in the millimeter-wavelength range, to study molecule-atom collisions, and validate our quantum-scattering calculations on two recent potential energy surfaces. We study the first pure rotational transition in a CO molecule perturbed by Ar. This molecular system is a good prototype of atmospherically relevant cases. It is, on the one hand, affordable for calculation of the line shape parameters by modern ab initio methods, and on the other hand, is very convenient for experimental studies because of its regular, well spaced rotational spectrum having a moderate intensity. We show that the simulated collision-perturbed spectra, which are based on our fully ab initio calculations, agree with the experimental line profiles at sub-percent level over a wide range (more than four orders of magnitude) of pressures. We demonstrate that the agreement between theory and experiment can be further improved if the model accounts for the collisional transfer of an optical coherence between different rotational transitions (the line-mixing effect). We show that the two surfaces tested in this work lead to a very similar agreement with the experiment. Capability of calculating line shape parameters in a broad range of temperatures is demonstrated.

International audience; This work presents a comparison between experimental and calculated values for the collisional line broadenings and shifts of the S-0(0), S-0(1), and S-0(2) lines of the rotational Raman spectrum of D-2 perturbed by He at 77, 195, and 300K. The pure rotational Raman spectra were obtained by means of a stimulated Raman spectroscopy experimental setup. Close coupling dynamical calculations were performed on the most recent ab initio H-2-He potential energy surface. The resulting scattering matrix elements implemented in the general Hess method allow us to provide pressure broadening, pressure shifting, and Dicke coefficients from 10 to 400K. Experimental and calculated values agree well with each other.

[EN]Multichannel scattering calculations are presented for the low-energy collisions of the OH+ cation and He atoms, using an ab initio evaluation of the interaction potential, which had been obtained in earlier work, and a time-independent, multichannel treatment of the quantum dynamics carried out in this study using our in-house scattering code ASPIN. Given the presence of spin-rotation coupling effects, within an essentially electrostatic formulation of the interaction forces with He atoms in the trap, the ensuing propensity rules which control the relative size of the state-changing cross sections and of the corresponding inelastic rates, also computed at the most likely temperatures in an ion trap, are presented and analysed in detail.

Quantum scattering calculations within the time-independent approach in an extended interval of energies were performed for the title reaction on four ab initio potential energy surfaces. The calculated integral cross sections, vibrational branching ratios, and rate constants are compared with scattering experiments as well as with chemical kinetics rate data available for this system for both the HF and DF channels. The calculations on the CSZ (J. Chem. Phys. 2015, 142, 024303) and LWAL (J. Chem. Phys. 2007, 127, 174302) surfaces are in close agreement between them and reproduce satisfactorily the experimental measurements. The agreement with the experiments is improved with respect to calculations on the earlier SW (J. Chem. Phys. 1996, 104, 6515) and FXZ (J. Chem. Phys. 2008, 129, 011103) surfaces. The results presented here witness the remarkable progress made by quantum chemistry calculations in describing the interatomic interactions governing the dynamics and kinetics of this reaction. They also suggest that comparison with translationally and rotationally averaged experimental observables is not sufficient to assess the relative accuracy of highly accurate potential energy surfaces. The dynamics and kinetics calculations show that temperatures lower than 50 K or molecular beam energy spread below 1 meV must be reached to discriminate the accuracy of the LWAL and the CSZ surfaces.

Elementary triatomic reactions offer a compelling test of our understanding of the extent of electron-nuclear coupling in chemical reactions, which is neglected in the widely applied Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The BO approximation predicts that in reactions between chlorine (Cl) atoms and molecular hydrogen, the excited spin-orbit state (Cl*) should not participate to a notable extent. We report molecular beam experiments, based on hydrogen-atom Rydberg tagging detection, that reveal only a minor role of Cl*. These results are in excellent agreement with fully quantum-reactive scattering calculations based on two sets of ab initio potential energy surfaces. This study resolves a previous disagreement between theory and experiment and confirms our ability to simulate accurately chemical reactions on multiple potential energy surfaces.

International audience; The contribution of the first excited 11A″ state potential energy surface (PES) to the reactivity of the C(1D)+H2 system has been examined by comparing the simulations obtained with the theoretical state-to-state differential cross sections (DCSs) with experimental data from cross molecular beam experiments. The calculations were carried out using the quantum scattering and quasiclassical trajectory calculations on the ground and first excited PESs, and the DCSs were convoluted with the various apparatus functions in order to simulate the experimental laboratory angular distributions and time-of-flight distributions. It was expected that the participation of the excited PES could solve the relatively minor discrepancies resulting from the comparison between the experimental data and the simulations using the DCSs obtained on the ground state PES. Nevertheless, the addition of the contribution of the excited 11A″ PES worsens the agreement with the experimental results.

In this paper we report a combined experimental and theoretical study on the dynamics of the insertion reaction C((1)D)+D(2) at 15.5 kJ mol(-1) collision energy. Product angular and velocity distributions have been obtained in crossed beam experiments and quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) and rigorous statistical calculations have been performed on the recent and accurate ab initio potential energy surface of Bussery-Honvault, Honvault, and Launay at the energy of the experiment. The molecular-beam results have been simulated using the theoretical calculations. Good agreement between experiment and both QCT and statistical predictions is found.

In this paper we report a combined experimental and theoretical study on the dynamics of the prototype insertion reaction C(1D) + H2. Product angular and velocity distributions have been obtained in crossed beam experiments at two collision energies of 7.8 and 16.0 kJ mol−1. Quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) and quantum mechanical (QM) scattering calculations have been carried out on a recent accurate ab initio potential energy surface at the energies of the experiments. The molecular beam results have been simulated using the theoretical calculations. Reasonably good agreement between experiment and theory is found.

To assess the relative reactivity of the spin-orbit excited state of atomic Cl with molecular hydrogen, we have measured differential cross sections using an atomic Cl beam with a known concentration of the ground and excited spin-orbit states. These are compared with the first determination of the cross sections from quantum mechanical scattering calculations on a set of coupled ab initio potential energy surfaces. The comparison suggests that these surfaces may underestimate the degree of rotational excitation of the HCl products and that the excited spin-orbit state plays a minor role in the reaction.

To investigate the relative reactivity of the two spin–orbit states of atomic Cl with molecular hydrogen, we have measured laboratory-frame differential cross sections (DCSs) using an atomic Cl beam with a known concentration of the ground (2P3/2) and excited (2P1/2) spin–orbit states. The experimental results are compared with a complete determination of the appropriate centre-of-mass DCSs from quantum mechanical scattering calculations on the Capecchi–Werner coupled ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs). The multi-electronic-state quantum scattering prediction differs somewhat from the experimental results. This disagreement is likely due to an underestimation of the degree of rotational excitation of the HCl product, due to residual imperfections in the exit channel of the ab initio PESs. In particular, an increase in the reactivity of the excited spin–orbit state would result in poorer agreement with experiment.

Angular distributions and time-of-flight spectra for the reaction Cl + H 2 → HCl + H obtained from a high-resolution, crossed-molecular beam experiment were compared to differential cross sections calculated by both converged quantum mechanical scattering and quasi-classical trajectory methods. Good agreement was found between the experimental results and each theoretical prediction. The results demonstrate that excellent agreement can be obtained between state-of-the-art simulations and experiments for the detailed dynamical properties of this prototype chlorine atom reaction.

Experimental and theoretical differential cross sections for the reactions between Cl atoms and two isotopic variants of molecular hydrogen (H2 and D2) are presented. The experimental results have been obtained by using the crossed molecular beam method with mass spectrometric detection. The theoretical results have been computed using both the quasiclassical trajectory and quantum mechanical (QM) methods. The potential energy surface employed for the calculations is the ab initio BW2 surface by Bian and Werner [J. Chem. Phys. 112, 220 (2000)]. The theoretical results have been directly compared to the experiments in the laboratory frame at a collision energy (Ec) of 4.25 and 5.85 kcal/mol for the Cl+H2 reaction and of 4.9 and 6.3 kcal/mol for the Cl+D2 reaction. The agreement between QM results and experiment is quite satisfactory for the Cl+D2 reaction, especially for the low collision energy, while for Cl+H2 is less good, especially when considering data at the lower Ec.