Doppler-Resolved Spectroscopy as an Assignment Tool in the Spectrum of Singlet Methylene

Theoretical investigation of the relaxation of the bending mode of CH₂(X̃) by collisions with helium

We have earlier determined the dependence on the bending angle of the interaction of the methylene radical (CH2) in its X̃³B₁ state with He [L. Ma, P. J. Dagdigian, and M. H. Alexander, J. Chem. Phys. 136, 224306 (2012)]. By integration over products of the bending vibrational wave function, in a quantum close-coupled treatment we have calculated cross sections for the ro-vibrational relaxation of CH 2(X̃). Specifically, we find that cross sections for a loss of one vibrational quantum (v(b) = 2 → 1 and 1 → 0) are roughly two orders of magnitude smaller, and those for a loss of two vibrational quanta (v(b) = 2 → 0) four orders of magnitude smaller, than those for pure rotational relaxation. In addition, no clear cut dependence on the energy gap is seen.

Theoretical investigation of intersystem crossing between the ã¹A₁ and X³B₁ states of CH₂ induced by collisions with helium

Collisional energy transfer between the ground (X³B₁) and first excited (ã¹A₁) states of CH2 is facilitated by strong mixing of the rare pairs of accidentally degenerate rotational levels in the ground vibrational manifold of the [Formula: see text] state and the (020) and (030) excited bending vibrational manifolds of the X state. The simplest model for this process involves coherent mixing of the scattering T-matrix elements associated with collisional transitions within the unmixed ã and X states. From previous calculations in our group, we have determined cross sections and room-temperature rate constants for intersystem crossing of CH2 by collision with He. These are used in simulations of the time dependence of the energy flow, both within and between the X and ã vibronic manifolds. Relaxation proceeds through three steps: (a) rapid equilibration of the two mixed-pair levels, (b) fast relaxation within the ã state, and (c) slower relaxation among the levels of the X state. Collisional transfer between the fine-structure levels of the triplet (X) state is very slow.

New ab Initio Potential Energy Surfaces for the Renner-Teller Coupled 11A′ and 11A′′ States of CH2

New ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the two lowest-lying singlet 11A′ and 11A′′ electronic states of CH2, coupled by the Renner-Teller (RT) effect and meant for the spectroscopic study, are presented. The surfaces are constructed using a dual-level strategy. The internally contracted multireference configuration interaction calculations with the Davidson correction, using the aug-cc-pVQZ basis set, are employed to obtain 3042 points at the lower level. The core and core-valence correlation effects are taken into account in the ab initio calculations with a modified optimized aug-cc-pCVQZ basis set for the higher-level points. The analytical representations of these PESs, with the inclusion of the nonadiabatic RT terms, are obtained by the nonlinear least-squares fit of the calculated points to three-body expansion. Quantum dynamical calculations are performed on these PESs, and the computed vibronic energy levels for the two singlet electronic states are in excellent agreement with experiment.

CH2 b̃1B1-ã1A1 band origin at 1.20 μm

The origin band in the b̃(1)B(1)-ã(1)A(1) transition of CH(2) near 1.2 μm has been recorded at Doppler-limited resolution using diode laser transient absorption spectroscopy. The assignments of rotational transitions terminating in upper state levels with K(a) = 0 and 1, were confirmed by ground state combination differences and extensive optical-optical double resonance experiments. The assigned lines are embedded in a surprisingly dense spectral region, which includes a strong hot band, b̃(0,1,0) K(a) = 0 - ã(0,1,0) K(a) = 1 sub-band lines, with combination or overtone transitions in the ã(1)A(1) state likely responsible for the majority of unassigned transitions in this region. From measured line intensities and an estimate of the concentration of CH(2) in the sample, we find the transition moment square for the 0(00) ← 1(10) transition in the b̃(1)B(1)(0,0,0)(0)-ã(1)A(1)(0,0,0)(1) sub-band is 0.005(1) D(2). Prominent b̃(1)B(1)(0,1,0)(0)-ã(1)A(1)(0,1,0)(1) hot band lines were observed in the same spectral region. Comparison of the intensities of corresponding rotational transitions in the two bands suggests the hot band has an intrinsic strength approximately 28 times larger than the origin band. Perturbations of the excited state K(a) = 0 and 1 levels are observed and discussed. The new measurements will lead to improved future theoretical modeling and calculations of the Renner-Teller effect between the ã and b̃ states in CH(2).

Sub-Doppler spectroscopy of mixed state levels in CH(2)

Perturbations in the 7(16) and 8(18) mixed singlet/triplet levels of ã (1)A(1)(0,0,0) methylene, CH(2), have been reinvestigated by frequency-modulated laser sub-Doppler saturation spectroscopy. The hyperfine structure was completely resolved for both the predominantly singlet and the predominantly triplet components of these mixed rotational levels using b̃ (1)B(1)-ã (1)A(1) optical transitions near 12 200 cm(-1) with megahertz resolution. The mixing coefficients were obtained from the observed hyperfine splittings and a two-level deperturbation model. The analysis also determines the energy separation of the unperturbed zero-order levels and the unperturbed hyperfine splittings for the triplet perturbing levels 6(15) X̃ (3)B(1)(0,3,0) and 9(37) X̃ (3)B(1)(0,2,0).

State-resolved thermalization of singlet and mixed singlet-triplet states of CH2

The role of mixed states in the collision-induced thermalization, intersystem crossing, and reactive loss of CH(2) (~a (1)A1) has been monitored using Doppler-resolved transient frequency modulation absorption spectroscopy. Singlet CH(2) is produced in a hot initial distribution of translation and rotational energy states in the 308 nm photodissociation of ketene in a large excess of argon. Collisions with Ar and ketene cool the translational and rotational degrees of freedom, while depleting the total singlet CH(2) population through reaction and intersystem crossing. Direct monitoring of the time-dependent populations of rotational levels containing mixed singlet and triplet character reveals a rapid interconversion between the two components, but no discernable difference between the kinetics of the pure singlet and mixed states at longer times.

Bending energy level structure and quasilinearity of the X̃+B13 ground electronic state of NH2+

The bending level structure of the quasilinear X+ 3B1 ground electronic state of the amidogen cation NH2+ was studied by pulsed-field-ionization zero-kinetic-energy photoelectron spectroscopy using a near-infrared vacuum-ultraviolet two-photon ionization sequence via selected rovibronic levels of the A 2A1 state of NH2. The careful selection of the intermediate levels permitted to optimize the transition intensities to the lowest vibrational levels of the cation in the photoionization step and to overcome the low sensitivity of previously employed single-photon ionization schemes. For the first time, all bending levels of the cationic ground state with quantum numbers upsilon2,lin + < or =4, N+ < or =4, and /K+/ < or =2 could be observed, enabling a detailed characterization of the large-amplitude bending vibration. The rotational structure corresponds to that of an effectively linear molecule in all observed vibrational levels. The bending vibrational structure which shows marked deviations from a harmonic behavior was analyzed in terms of a semirigid bender model. The bending potential function was obtained from a fit to the experimental data. The height of the barrier at the linear geometry and the bond angle at the potential minimum were determined to be 231.8(22) cm(-1) and 152.54(4) degrees , respectively, and all bending levels are located above the maximum of the barrier.

The spectrum of CH2 near 1.36 and 0.92 microm: reevaluation of rotational level structure and perturbations in a(010)

The spectrum of methylene in the 1.3-1.4 and 0.89-0.94 microm wavelength regions has been recorded in absorption using frequency-modulated cw diode and Ti:sapphire laser sources. The spectral lines have Doppler-limited resolution and have been assigned to bands in the b(1)B1 <-- a(1)A1 electronic spectrum of the radical. In three of the four bands studied, the lower state is the bend excited, v2" = 1, level of the a state and two of the upper levels lie below the energy of the degenerate linear configuration of the b/a pair. Together with previously measured data pertaining to v2" = 1, the data have been used to refine the precision of the experimentally determined rotational structure in this level. Although several K" = 1 levels do show shifts of more than 0.1-0.2 cm(-1), multiple strong perturbations due to near-resonant background X(3)B1 rovibrational levels, such as are known to occur in the a(1)A1, v2" = 0 level have not been found in v2" = 1. Absorption lines due to the predominantly triplet X(040) 4(14) level, responsible for most of the perturbation of a(010) 5(15), have been identified in the spectra. The data also fix the energies of the b(0,0,0)2, a(0,7,0)1, b(0,2,0)3, and a(0,10,0)2 upper vibronic levels, where the numbers in parentheses are the vibrational quantum numbers with superscript K, the projection of the total angular momentum on the a-inertial axis.

Observation of the c̃A11 state of methylene by optical-optical double resonance

We report the observation of the rotationally resolved spectrum of the c1A1 state of CH2 via sequential single-photon absorptions at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Direct absorption from the lowest singlet state a1A1 to c1A1 occurs in the near UV, but it is weak because it corresponds to a two electron transition between the dominant single configuration approximations to the electronic wave functions. Some absorption lines in the c-a system were originally reported in 1966 [G. Herzberg and J. W. C. Johns, Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 295, 107 (1966)], but the weak spectra could not be assigned at the time. Interest in the c1A(1) state was rekindled by recent ab initio results [S. N. Yurchenko, P. Jensen, Y. Li, R. J. Buenker, and P. R. Bunker, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 208, 136 (2001)] which prompted the present work. The new spectra provide accurate energies for rotational levels in the v2linear =11,l = 1 level of the state, and permit assignment of most of the line positions measured by Herzberg and Johns. The double-resonance technique used may be easily extended to the measurement of lower rovibrational levels in the electronic state and possibly also to access the d1A2 state which is theoretically expected to lie at similar energies but, for symmetry reasons, is not accessible from the lowest singlet state in a single electric-dipole transition.