Exploring Unorthodox Dimensions for Two-Electron Atoms.

Melding quantum and classical mechanics is an abiding quest of physical chemists who strive for heuristic insights and useful tools. We present a surprisingly simple and accurate treatment of ground-state two-electron atoms. It makes use of only the dimensional dependence of a hydrogen atom, together with the exactly known first-order perturbation value of the electron-electron interaction, both quintessentially quantum, and the D → ∞ limit, entirely classical. The result is an analytic formula for D-dimensional two-electron atoms with Z ≥ 2. For D = 3 helium, it gives accuracy better than 2 millihartrees, which is better than current density functional theory. A kindred explicit formula for correlation energy exploits interpolation between D → ∞ and D = 1 or 2; when added to the Hartree-Fock energy, it improves accuracy for D = 3 helium to better than 0.1 millihartrees.

Spectral signatures of inter-system crossing mediated by energetically distant doorway levels: examples from the acetylene S1 state.

We review recent research on the acetylene S(1) state that illustrates how mechanistic rather than phenomenological information about intersystem crossing (ISC) may be obtained directly from frequency-domain spectra. The focus is on the dynamically rich "doorway-mediated" ISC domain that lies between isolated spectroscopic spin-orbit perturbations and statistical-limit interactions between one singlet "bright state" and a quasi-continuum of triplet "dark states". New and improved experimental and data processing techniques permit the statistical-model curtain to be drawn back to reveal mechanistically explicit pathways via one or more identifiable, hence, manipulatable, doorway states, between a user-selected bright state and the undifferentiated bath of dark states.

Contrasting singlet-triplet dynamical behavior of two vibrational levels of the acetylene S1 2(1)3(1)B2 polyad.

Surface electron ejection by laser-excited metastables (SEELEM) and LIF spectra of acetylene were simultaneously recorded in the regions of the A1Au-X1Sigmag+ nominal 2(1)3(1)4(2) Ka=1<--00 and 2(1)3(1)6(2) Ka=1<--00 bands near 46,140 cm(-1). The upper states of these two bands are separated by only approximately 100 cm(-1), and the two S1 vibrational levels are known to be strongly mixed by anharmonic and Coriolis interactions. Strikingly different patterns were observed in the SEELEM spectra in the regions of the 2(1)3(1)4(2) and 2(1)3(1)6(2) vibrational levels. Because the equilibrium structure of the T3 electronic state is known to be nonplanar, excitation of nu4 (torsion) and nu6 (antisymmetric in-plane bend) are expected respectively to promote and suppress vibrational overlap between low-lying S1 and T3 vibrational levels. The nearly 50:50 mixed 2(1)3(1)4(2)-2(1)3(1)6(2) character of the S1 vibrational levels rules out this simple Franck-Condon explanation for the different appearance of the SEELEM spectra. A simple model is applied to the SEELEM/LIF spectra to explain the differences between spectral patterns in terms of a T3 doorway-mediated singlet-triplet coupling model.

Permanent electric dipole moment of molybdenum carbide.

High resolution optical spectroscopy has been used to study a molecular beam of molybdenum monocarbide (MoC). The Stark effect of the R(e)(0) and Q(fe)(1) branch features of the [18.6] (3)Pi(1)-X (3)Sigma(-)(0,0) band system of (98)MoC were analyzed to determine the permanent electric dipole moments mu(e) of 2.68(2) and 6.07(18) D for the [18.6] (3)Pi(1)(nu=0) and X (3)Sigma(-)(nu=0) states, respectively. The dipole moments are compared with the experimental value for ruthenium monocarbide [T. C. Steimle et al., J. Chem. Phys. 118, 2620 (2003)] and with theoretical predictions. A molecular orbital correlation diagram is used to interpret the observed and predicted trends of ground state mu(e) values for the 4d-metal monocarbides series.

The permanent electric dipole moment and hyperfine interaction in ruthenium monoflouride (RuF).

Ruthenium monofluoride, RuF, has been detected using low-resolution laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in the visible and near infrared spectral regions. A visible band, designated as [18.2]5.5-X 4Phi(9/2), has been recorded field-free and in the presence of a static electric field using high-resolution LIF spectroscopy. The r0 internuclear distances for the [18.2]5.5 and X 4Phi(9/2) states were determined to be 1.911 and 1.916 A, respectively. The vibrational interval DeltaG(1/2) of 534(15) cm-1 for the X 4Phi(9/2) state was determined from the analysis of the dispersed LIF. The Stark shifts of the visible band were analyzed to produce permanent electric dipole moments of 1.97(8) and 5.34(7) D for the [18.2]5.5 and X 4Phi(9/2), states, respectively. The fluorine magnetic hyperfine structure associated with spectral features was analyzed. The hyperfine structure and dipole moments are interpreted using a molecular-orbital correlation model and compared with FeF and other ruthenium-containing molecules.

The permanent electric dipole moments of WN and ReN and nuclear quadrupole interaction in ReN.

The high-resolution laser induced fluorescence spectra of tungsten mononitride WN and rhenium mononitride ReN have been recorded in a laser ablation/molecular beam spectrometer. The field free spectrum of the (0,0)A (4)Pi(3/2)-X (4)Sigma(1/2) (-) band system of (186)WN has been analyzed to produce B("), B('), and gamma(") values of 0.4659(2), 0.4554(2), and 0.0518(1) cm(-1), respectively. The permanent electric dipole moments mu for the X (4)Sigma(1/2) (-) and A (4)Pi(3/2) state were determined to be 3.77(18) and 2.45(3) D, respectively, from the analysis of the optical Stark effect. The (0,0)[26.0]0(+)-X0(+) band system of ReN was recorded in the presence of a variable static electric field. The ground and excited state electric dipole moments of (187)ReN were determined to be mu(X0(+))=1.96(8) D and mu([26.0]0(+))=3.53(4) D. Splittings in the field free (187)ReN spectrum were analyzed to produce (187)Re (I=5/2) nuclear electric quadrupole coupling constants e(2)Qq(0) of -0.0304(8) and 0.0328(9) cm(-1) for the X0(+) and [26.0]0(+) states, respectively. A molecular orbital correlation model is used to interpret the observation and a comparison is made to CrN and MoN.