Ratschek M, Pototschnig JV, Hauser AW, Ernst WE. Solvation and spectral line shifts of chromium atoms in helium droplets based on a density functional theory approach.
J Phys Chem A 2014;
118:6622-31. [PMID:
24906160 PMCID:
PMC4141898 DOI:
10.1021/jp5034036]
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Abstract
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The
interaction of an electronically excited, single chromium (Cr)
atom with superfluid helium nanodroplets of various size (10 to 2000
helium (He) atoms) is studied with helium density functional theory.
Solvation energies and pseudo-diatomic potential energy surfaces are
determined for Cr in its ground state as well as in the y7P, a5S, and y5P excited states. The necessary
Cr–He pair potentials are calculated by standard methods of
molecular orbital-based electronic structure theory. In its electronic
ground state the Cr atom is found to be fully submerged in the droplet.
A solvation shell structure is derived from fluctuations in the radial
helium density. Electronic excitations of an embedded Cr atom are
simulated by confronting the relaxed helium density (ρHe), obtained for Cr in the ground state, with interaction pair potentials
of excited states. The resulting energy shifts for the transitions
z7P ← a7S, y7P ← a7S, z5P ← a5S, and y5P ← a5S are compared to recent fluorescence and
photoionization experiments.
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