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1. Two-photon spectroscopy of the NaLi triplet ground state

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP08481A  

   Rvachov, Timur M.; Son, Hyungmok; Park, Juliana J.; Ebadi, Sepehr; Zwierlein, Martin W.; Ketterle, Wolfgang; Jamison, Alan O. (January 2018, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   We employ two-photon spectroscopy to study the vibrational states of the triplet ground state potential (a 3 Σ + ) of the 23 Na 6 Li molecule. Pairs of Na and Li atoms in an ultracold mixture are photoassociated into an excited triplet molecular state, which in turn is coupled to vibrational states of the triplet ground potential. Vibrational state binding energies, line strengths, and potential fitting parameters for the triplet ground a 3 Σ + potential are reported. We also observe rotational splitting in the lowest vibrational state. 

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2. Dynamic signatures of electronically nonadiabatic coupling in sodium hydride: a rigorous test for the symmetric quasi-classical model applied to realistic, ab initio electronic states in the adiabatic representation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cp04090a  

   Talbot, Justin J.; Head-Gordon, Martin; Miller, William H.; Cotton, Stephen J. (February 2022, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Sodium hydride (NaH) in the gas phase presents a seemingly simple electronic structure making it a potentially tractable system for the detailed investigation of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics from both computational and experimental standpoints. The single vibrational degree of freedom, as well as the strong nonadiabatic coupling that arises from the excited electronic states taking on considerable ionic character, provides a realistic chemical system to test the accuracy of quasi-classical methods to model population dynamics where the results are directly comparable against quantum mechanical benchmarks. Using a simulated pump–probe type experiment, this work presents computational predictions of population transfer through the avoided crossings of NaH via symmetric quasi-classical Meyer–Miller (SQC/MM), Ehrenfest, and exact quantum dynamics on realistic, ab initio potential energy surfaces. The main driving force for population transfer arises from the ground vibrational level of the D 1 Σ + adiabatic state that is embedded in the manifold of near-dissociation C 1 Σ + vibrational states. When coupled through a sharply localized first-order derivative coupling most of the population transfers between t = 15 and t = 30 fs depending on the initially excited vibronic wavepacket. While quantum mechanical effects are expected due to the reduced mass of NaH, predictions of the population dynamics from both the SQC/MM and Ehrenfest models perform remarkably well against the quantum dynamics benchmark. Additionally, an analysis of the vibronic structure in the nonadiabatically coupled regime is presented using a variational eigensolver methodology. 

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3. Proton relays in anomalous carbocations dictate spectroscopy, stability, and mechanisms: case studies on C ₂ H ₅ ⁺ and C ₃ H ₃ ⁺

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP05577C  

   Sager, LeeAnn M.; Iyengar, Srinivasan S. (January 2017, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.)

   We present a detailed analysis of the anomalous carbocations: C 2 H 5 + and C 3 H 3 + . This work involves (a) probing electronic structural properties, (b) ab initio dynamics simulations over a range of internal energies, (c) analysis of reduced dimensional potential surfaces directed along selected conformational transition pathways, (d) dynamically averaged vibrational spectra computed from ab initio dynamics trajectories, and (e) two-dimensional time–frequency analysis to probe conformational dynamics. Key findings are as follows: (i) as noted in our previous study on C 2 H 3 + , it appears that these non-classical carbocations are stabilized by delocalized nuclear frameworks and “proton shuttles”. We analyze this nuclear delocalization and find critical parallels between conformational changes in C 2 H 3 + , C 2 H 5 + , and C 3 H 3 + . (ii) The vibrational signatures of C 2 H 5 + are dominated by the “bridge-proton” conformation, but also show critical contributions from the “classical” configuration, which is a transition state at almost all levels of theory. This result is further substantiated through two-dimensional time–frequency analysis and is at odds with earlier explanations of the experimental spectra, where frequencies close to the classical region were thought to arise from an impurity. While this is still possible, our results here indicate an additional (perhaps more likely) explanation that involves the “classical” isomer. (iii) Finally, in the case of C 3 H 3 + our explanation of the experimental result includes the presence of multiple, namely, “cyclic”, “straight”, and propargyl, configurations. Proton shuttles and nuclear delocalization, reminiscent of those seen in the case of C 2 H 3 + , were seen all through and have a critical role in all our observations. 

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4. Experimental study of the proton-transfer reaction C + H ₂ ⁺ → CH ⁺ + H and its isotopic variant (D ₂ ⁺ )

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP04810K  

   Hillenbrand, Pierre-Michel; Bowen, Kyle P.; Dayou, Fabrice; Miller, Kenneth A.; de Ruette, Nathalie; Urbain, Xavier; Savin, Daniel W. (December 2020, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   We report absolute integral cross section (ICS) measurements using a dual-source merged-fast-beams apparatus to study the titular reactions over the relative translational energy range of E r ∼ 0.01–10 eV. We used photodetachment of C − to produce a pure beam of atomic C in the ground electronic 3 P term, with statistically populated fine-structure levels. The H 2 + and D 2 + were formed in an electron impact ionization source, with well known vibrational and rotational distributions. The experimental work is complemented by a theoretical study of the CH 2 + electronic system in the reactant and product channels, which helps to clarify the possible reaction mechanisms underlying the ICS measurements. Our measurements provide evidence that the reactions are barrierless and exoergic. They also indicate the apparent absence of an intermolecular isotope effect, to within the total experimental uncertainties. Capture models, taking into account either the charge-induced dipole interaction potential or the combined charge-quadrupole and charge-induced dipole interaction potentials, produce reaction cross sections that lie a factor of ∼4 above the experimental results. Based on our theoretical study, we hypothesize that the reaction is most likely to proceed adiabatically through the 1 4 A′ and 1 4 A′′ states of CH 2 + via the reaction C( 3 P) + H 2 + ( 2 Σ+g) → CH + ( 3 Π) + H( 2 S). We also hypothesize that at low collision energies only H 2 + ( v ≤ 2) and D 2 + ( v ≤ 3) contribute to the titular reactions, due to the onset of dissociative charge transfer for higher vibrational v levels. Incorporating these assumptions into the capture models brings them into better agreement with the experimental results. Still, for energies ≲0.1 eV where capture models are most relevant, the modified charge-induced dipole model yields reaction cross sections with an incorrect energy dependence and lying ∼10% below the experimental results. The capture cross section obtained from the combined charge-quadrupole and charge-induced dipole model better matches the measured energy dependence but lies ∼30–50% above the experimental results. These findings provide important guidance for future quasiclassical trajectory and quantum mechanical treatments of this reaction. 

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5. Assigning quantum labels and improving accuracy for the ro-vibrational eigenstates of H3+ calculated using ScalIT

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2022.996001  

   Sarka, János; Poirier, Bill (October 2022, Frontiers in Physics)

   In a recent article [AIP Adv. 11, 045033 (2021)], we carried out exact quantum dynamical calculations and computed ro-vibrational energy levels and wave functions for the H 3 + molecular ion up to the dissociation threshold (at J = 46) using a recently developed potential energy surface (PES) [Mol. Phys. 117, 1663 (2019)]—arguably, the most accurate to date —together with the ScalIT suite of parallel codes. In this work, we further improved the convergence accuracy and range of our ScalIT calculations for all J values up to J = 20 to a few 10 –5  cm −1 (or better). In addition, we performed an ab initio assignment of the ro-vibrational energy levels, providing vibrational ‘ v 1 , v 2 , | l |’ and rotational ‘ J , G , U , K ’ quantum labels for more than 2,200 ro-vibrational states, including every single 0 ≤ J ≤ 20 state up to and above the barrier to linearity at 10,000 cm −1 . The main underlying motivation of our work is to provide a list of reliably labeled, spectroscopically accurate energy levels in a format that can be used in spectroscopic line lists, which are based on both experimental and theoretical levels. Such line lists are of huge importance in various astrochemical and astrophysical contexts. 

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