Vibrational and Rotational Excitation in Molecular Collisions

Communication: direct angle-resolved measurements of collision dynamics with electronically excited molecules: NO(A2Σ+) + Ar

We report direct doubly differential (quantum state and angle-resolved) scattering measurements involving short-lived electronically excited molecules using crossed molecular beams. In our experiment, supersonic beams of nitric oxide and argon atoms collide at 90°. In the crossing region, NO molecules are excited to the A(2)Σ(+)state by a pulsed nanosecond laser, undergo rotationally inelastic collisions with Ar atoms, and are then detected 400 ns later (approximately twice the radiative lifetime of the A(2)Σ(+)state) by 1 + 1(') multiphoton ionization via the E(2)Σ(+) state. The velocity distributions of the scattered molecules are recorded using velocity-mapped ion imaging. The resulting images provide a direct measurement of the state-to-state differential scattering cross sections. These results demonstrate that sufficient scattering events occur during the short lifetimes typical of molecular excited states (∼200 ns, in this case) to allow spectroscopically detected quantum-state-resolved measurements of products of excited-state collisions.

Friction-induced energy-loss rainbows in atom surface scattering

The rainbow is due to extrema of the angular deflection function of light impinging on water drops. Generically, extrema of suitably defined deflection functions lead to rainbows. These include angular and rotational rainbows in surface scattering and more. Here we introduce the concept of an "energy-loss deflection function" for scattering of particles from a periodic surface whose extrema lead to a new form-the "energy-loss rainbow" which appears as multiple maxima in the final energy distribution of the scattered particle. Energy-loss rainbows are caused by frictional phonon effects which induce structure in the energy-loss distribution instead of "washing it out." We provide evidence that they have been observed in Ne scattering on self-assembled monolayers.