C6H and C6D: electronic spectra and Renner-Teller analysis

Continuous wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy incorporating with an off-axis arrangement, white noise perturbation, and optical re-injection

We present an ultra-sensitive continuous wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy (cw-CRDS) spectrometer to record high resolution spectra of reactive radicals and ions in a pulsed supersonic plasma. The spectrometer employs a home-made external cavity diode laser as the tunable light source, with its wavelength modulated by radio-frequency white noise. The ringdown cavity with a finesse of ∼105 is arranged with an off-axis alignment. The combination of the off-axis cavity and the white-noise perturbed laser yields quasi-continuum laser-cavity coupling without the need of mode matching. The cavity is further incorporated with an extra multi-pass cavity for optical re-injection of light reflected off the master cavity, which significantly increases the throughput power of the high-finesse cavity. A fast switchable semiconductor optical amplifier is used to modulate the cw laser beam to square wave pulses and to initialize timing controlled ringdown events, which are synchronized to the plasma pulses with an accuracy of ∼3 µs. The performance and potential of the cw-CRDS spectrometer are illustrated and discussed, based on the high resolution near-infrared spectroscopic detection of trace 13C13C radicals generated in a pulsed supersonic C2H2/Ar plasma with a pulse duration of ∼50 µs.

Stretching our understanding of C3: Experimental and theoretical spectroscopy of highly excited nν1 + mν3 states (n ≤ 7 and m ≤ 3)

We present the high resolution infrared detection of fifteen highly vibrationally excited nν₁ + mν₃ combination bands (n ≤ 7 and m ≤ 3) of C₃ produced in a supersonically expanding propyne plasma, of which fourteen are reported for the first time. The fully resolved spectrum, around 3 μm, is recorded using continuous wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy. A detailed analysis of the resulting spectra is provided by ro-vibrational calculations based on an accurate local ab initio potential energy surface for C₃ (X̃¹Σ_g⁺). The experimental results not only offer a significant extension of the available data set, extending the observed number of quanta v₁ to 7 and v₃ to 3, but also a vital test to the fundamental understanding of this benchmark molecule. The present variational calculations give remarkable agreement compared to experimental values with typical accuracies of ∼0.01% for the vibrational frequencies and ∼0.001% for the rotational parameters, even for high energy levels around 10 000 cm^-1.

Tuning the Ground State Symmetry of Acetylenyl Radicals

The lowest excited state of the acetylenyl radical, HCC, is a (2)Π state, only 0.46 eV above the ground state, (2)Σ(+). The promotion of an electron from a π bond pair to a singly occupied σ hybrid orbital is all that is involved, and so we set out to tune those orbital energies, and with them the relative energetics of (2)Π and (2)Σ(+) states. A strategy of varying ligand electronegativity, employed in a previous study on substituted carbynes, RC, was useful, but proved more difficult to apply for substituted acetylenyl radicals, RCC. However, π-donor/acceptor substitution is effective in modifying the state energies. We are able to design molecules with (2)Π ground states (NaOCC, H2NCC ((2)A″), HCSi, FCSi, etc.) and vary the (2)Σ(+)-(2)Π energy gap over a 4 eV range. We find an inconsistency between bond order and bond dissociation energy measures of the bond strength in the Si-containing molecules; we provide an explanation through an analysis of the relevant potential energy curves.

The Renner-Teller effect in HCCCN(+)(X̃(2)Π) studied by zero-kinetic energy photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations

The spin-vibronic energy levels of the cyanoacetylene cation have been measured using the one-photon zero-kinetic energy (ZEKE) photoelectron spectroscopic method. All three degenerate vibrational modes showing vibronic coupling, i.e., Renner-Teller (RT) effect, have been observed. All the splitting spin-vibronic energy levels of the fundamental H-C≡C bending vibration (v5) have been determined. The spin-vibronic energy levels of the degenerate vibrational modes have also been calculated using a diabatic model in which the harmonic terms as well as all the second-order vibronic coupling terms are used. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data and are used to assign the ZEKE spectrum. It is found that the RT effects for the H-(CC)-CN bending (v7) and the C-C≡N bending (v6) vibrations are weak, whereas they are strong for the H-C≡C bending (v5) vibration. The cross-mode RT couplings between any of the two degenerate vibrations are strong. The spin-orbit resolved fundamental vibrational energy levels of the C≡N stretching (v2) and C-H stretching (v1) vibrations have also been observed. The spin-orbit energy splitting of the ground state has been determined for the first time as 43 ± 2 cm(-1), and the ionization energy of HCCCN is found to be 93 903.5 ± 2 cm(-1).

Note: cavity enhanced self-absorption spectroscopy: a new diagnostic tool for light emitting matter

We introduce the concept of Cavity Enhanced Self-Absorption Spectroscopy (CESAS), a new sensitive diagnostic tool for analyzing light-emitting samples. The technique works without an additional light source and its implementation is straight forward. In CESAS, a sample (plasma, flame, or combustion source) is located in an optically stable cavity consisting of two high reflectivity mirrors, and here it acts both as light source and absorbing medium. A modest portion of the emitted light is trapped inside the cavity, making 10(4)-10(5) cavity round trips while crossing the sample and an artificial augmentation of the path length of the absorbing medium occurs as the light transverses the cavity. Light leaking out of the cavity simultaneously provides emission and absorption features. The performance is illustrated by CESAS results on supersonically expanding pulsed hydrocarbon plasma. We expect CESAS to become a generally applicable analytical tool for real time and in situ diagnostics.

The electronic spectrum of the C(s)-C11H3 radical

The electronic gas-phase absorption spectrum of the bent carbon-chain radical, HC(4)CHC(6)H with C(s) symmetry, is recorded in the 595 nm region by cavity ring-down spectroscopy through an expanding hydrogen plasma. An unambiguous spectroscopic identification becomes possible from a systematic deuterium labeling experiment. A comparison of the results with recently reported spectra of the nonlinear HC(4)CHC(4)H and HC(4)C(C(2)H)C(4)H radicals with C(2v) symmetry provides a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular behavior of π-conjugated bent carbon-chain systems upon electronic excitation. We find that the electronic excitation in the bent carbon-chain HC(4)CHC(2n)H (n = 1-4) series exhibits a similar trend as in the linear HC(2n+1)H (n = 3-6) series, shifting optical absorptions towards longer wavelengths for increasing overall bent chain lengths. The π-conjugation in bent HC(4)CHC(2n)H (n = 1-4) chains is found to be generally smaller than in the linear HC(2n+1)H (n = 3-6) case for equivalent numbers of C-atoms. The addition of an electron-donating group to the bent chain causes a slight decrease of the effective conjugation.