Vibronic Coupling through the Continuum in the e+CO_{2} System.

We report two-dimensional electron energy-loss spectra of CO_{2}. The high-resolution experiment reveals a counterintuitive fine structure at energy losses where CO_{2} states form a vibrational pseudocontinuum. Guided by the symmetry of the system, we constructed a four-dimensional nonlocal model for the vibronic dynamics involving two shape resonances (forming a Renner-Teller Π_{u} doublet at the equilibrium geometry) coupled to a virtual Σ_{g}^{+} state. The model elucidates the extremely non-Born-Oppenheimer dynamics of the coupled nuclear motion and explains the origin of the observed structures. It is a prototype of the vibronic coupling of metastable states in continuum.

Resonant states in cyanogen NCCN.

In a combined experimental and theoretical study we probe the transient anion states (resonances) in cyanogen. Experimentally, we utilize electron energy loss spectroscopy which reveals the resonance positions by monitoring the excitation functions for vibrationally inelastic electron scattering. Four resonances are visible in the spectra, centered around 0.36 eV, 4.1, 5.3 and 7.3 eV. Theoretically, we explore the resonant states by using the regularized analytical continuation method. A very good agreement with the experiment is obtained for low-lying resonances, however, the computational method becomes unstable for higher-lying states. The lowest shape resonance (2Πu) is independently explored by the complex adsorbing potential method. In the experiment, this resonance is manifested by a pronounced boomerang structure. We show that the naive picture of viewing NCCN as a pseudodihalogen and focusing only on the CC stretch is invalid.

Dissociative Recombination of Cold HeH

The HeH^{+} cation is the simplest molecular prototype of the indirect dissociative recombination (DR) process that proceeds through electron capture into Rydberg states of the corresponding neutral molecule. This Letter develops the first application of our recently developed energy-dependent frame transformation theory to the indirect DR processes. The theoretical model is based on the multichannel quantum-defect theory with the vibrational basis states computed using exterior complex scaling of the nuclear Hamiltonian. The ab initio electronic R-matrix theory is adopted to compute quantum defects as functions of the collision energy and of the internuclear distance. The resulting DR rates are convolved over the beam energy distributions relevant to a recent experiment at the Cryogenic Storage Ring, giving good agreement between the experiment and the theory.

Reactive mode composition factor analysis of transition states: the case of coupled electron-proton transfers.

A simple method for the evaluation of the kinetic energy distribution within the reactive mode of a transition state (TS), denoted as the Reactive Mode Composition Factor (RMCF), is presented. It allows one to directly map the barrier properties onto the atomic-motion components of the reaction coordinate at the TS, which has potential to shed light onto some mechanistic features of a chemical process. To demonstrate the applicability of RMCF to reactivity, we link the kinetic energy distribution within a reactive mode with the asynchronicity (η) in C-H bond activation, as they both evolve in a series of coupled proton-electron transfer (CPET) reactions between FeIVO oxidants and 1,4-cyclohexadiene. RMCF shows how the earliness or lateness of a process manifests as a redistribution of kinetic energy in the reactive mode as a function of the free energy of reaction (ΔG0) and η. Finally, the title analysis can be applied to predict H-atom tunneling contributions and kinetic isotope effects in a set of reactions, yielding a transparent rationalization based on the kinetic energy distributions in the reactive mode.

Inelastic low-energy collisions of electrons with HeH+: Rovibrational excitation and dissociative recombination.

Inelastic low-energy (0-1 eV) collisions of electrons with HeH+ cations are treated theoretically, with a focus on the rovibrational excitation and dissociative recombination (DR) channels. In an application of ab initio multichannel quantum defect theory, the description of both processes is based on the Born-Oppenheimer quantum defects. The quantum defects were determined using the R-matrix approach in two different frames of reference: the center-of-charge and the center-of-mass frames. The results obtained in the two reference systems, after implementing the Fano-Jungen style rovibrational frame-transformation technique, show differences in the rate of convergence for these two different frames of reference. We find good agreement with the available theoretically predicted rotationally inelastic thermal rate coefficients. Our computed DR rate also agrees well with the available experimental results. Moreover, several computational experiments shed light on the role of rotational and vibrational excitations in the indirect DR mechanism that governs the low energy HeH+ dissociation process. While the rotational excitation is several orders of magnitude more probable process at the studied collision energies, the closed-channel resonances described by the high-n, rotationally excited neutral molecules of HeH contribute very little to the dissociation probability. But the situation is very different for resonances defined by the high-n, vibrationally excited HeH molecules, which are found to dissociate with approximately 90% probability.

Joint experimental and theoretical study on vibrational excitation cross sections for electron collisions with diacetylene.

We have measured and calculated differential and integral cross sections for elastic and vibrationally inelastic electron scattering by diacetylene molecules at electron energies from 0.5 to 20 eV in the whole range of scattering angles from 0 to 180°. The calculations were carried out using the discrete momentum representation method (DMR), which is based on the two-channel Lippmann-Schwinger equation in the momentum space. The interaction between the scattered electron and the target molecule is described by the exact static-exchange potential. Correlation-polarization forces are included by a local density functional theory. Energy dependences of integral and differential cross sections are presented for all nine vibrational modes. A detailed comparison of theoretical and experimental electron energy loss spectra is presented for electron energies of 1, 5.5, 10, and 20 eV. The theory assigns symmetry of resonances that could not be determined by empirical analysis alone. The theory reveals, and quantitatively describes, the switching of partial waves accompanying excitation of nontotally symmetrical vibrations. Limitations of the theory in reproducing experimental data for the narrow π* resonance below 2 eV are mentioned.

Determination of the resonance energy and width of the (2)B(2g) shape resonance of ethylene with the method of analytical continuation in the coupling constant.

The method of analytical continuation in the coupling constant, which allows us to determine the energy and width of a shape resonance, has been applied to the study of the (2)B2g shape resonance of ethylene. The procedure was done in two steps. In the first step, we used commercially available quantum-chemistry programs to calculate the electronic energy of a neutral molecule and of a negative ion. In both calculations, the Hamiltonian was altered by the inclusion of an additional attractive potential that helps to keep the negative ion bound. In the second step, the energy difference between the neutral molecule and its negative ion was analytically continued by the use of the statistical Padé approximation.

Efficient evaluation of Coulomb integrals in a mixed Gaussian and plane-wave basis using the density fitting and Cholesky decomposition.

The objective of this paper is to show that the density fitting (resolution of the identity approximation) can also be applied to Coulomb integrals of the type (k(1)(1)k(2)(1)|g(1)(2)g(2)(2)), where k and g symbols refer to plane-wave functions and gaussians, respectively. We have shown how to achieve the accuracy of these integrals that is needed in wave-function MO and density functional theory-type calculations using mixed Gaussian and plane-wave basis sets. The crucial issues for achieving such a high accuracy are application of constraints for conservation of the number electrons and components of the dipole moment, optimization of the auxiliary basis set, and elimination of round-off errors in the matrix inversion.

Angular distributions for vibrationally inelastic nonresonant scattering of electrons by molecules.

Polar graphs for differential cross section (dcs) called spatial dcs maps are presented as graphical representation of the angular distribution of vibrationally inelastic electron scattering by polyatomic molecules. The objective of this paper is to show that an intuitive understanding of the principal features of these graphs can be obtained from a simple analysis of the normal modes of vibration of the target molecule and plane-wave functions representing the scattering electron. The procedure is illustrated on the H2 and CH4 molecules.

Joint experimental and theoretical study of vibrationally inelastic electron scattering on propane.

Vibrational electron energy loss spectra were measured for propane at incident energies of 3, 6, 10, 15, 20, and 25 eV at scattering angles of 40 degrees, 55 degrees, 70 degrees, 85 degrees, and 100 degrees . The spectra are compared with the results of ab initio calculations using a recently developed two-channel discrete momentum representation method. Good agreement between theory and experiment was found for large scattering angles and energies above the resonant region.