Photoinitiated unimolecular decomposition of NO2: Rotational dependence of the dissociation rate

Slice imaging study of NO2 photodissociation via the 12B2 and 22B2 states: the NO(X2Π) + O(3PJ) product channel

The state-resolved photodissociation of NO₂via the 1²B₂ and 2²B₂ excited states has been investigated by using time-sliced velocity-mapped ion imaging technique. The images of the O(³P_J=2,1,0) products at a series of excitation wavelengths are measured by employing a 1 + 1' photoionization scheme. The total kinetic energy release (TKER) spectra, NO vibrational state distributions and anisotropy parameters (β) are derived from the O(³P_J=2,1,0) images. For the 1²B₂ state photodissociation of NO₂, the TKER spectra mainly present a non-statistical vibrational state distribution of the NO co-products, and the profiles of most vibrational peaks display a bimodal structure. The β values show a gradual decrease with the photolysis wavelength increasing except for a sudden increase at 357.38 nm. The results suggest that the NO₂ photodissociation via the 1²B₂ state proceeds via the non-adiabatic transition between the 1²B₂ and X̃²A₁ states, leading to the NO(X²Π) + O(³P_J) products with wavelength-dependent rovibrational distributions. As for photodissociation of NO₂via the 2²B₂ state, the NO vibrational state distribution is relatively narrow with the main peak shifting from v = 1, 2 at 235.43-249.22 nm to v = 6 at 212.56 nm. The β values exhibit two distinctly different angular distributions, i.e., near isotropic at 249.22 and 246.09 nm and anisotropic at the rest of the excitation wavelengths. These results are consistent with the fact that the 2²B₂ state potential energy surface has a barrier, and the dissociation process is fast when the initial populated level is above this barrier. A bimodal vibrational state distribution is clearly observed at 212.56 nm, in which the main distribution (peaking at v = 6) is ascribed to dissociation via an avoided crossing with the higher electronically excited state while the subsidiary distribution (peaking at v = 11) likely arises due to dissociation via the internal conversion to the 1₂B₂ state or to the X̃ ground state.

Spiers Memorial Lecture: theory of unimolecular reactions

One hundred years ago, at an earlier Faraday Discussion meeting, Lindemann presented a mechanism that provides the foundation for contemplating the pressure dependence of unimolecular reactions. Since that time, our...

Excited state wavepacket dynamics in NO2 probed by strong-field ionization

We present an experimental femtosecond time-resolved study of the 399 nm excited state dynamics of nitrogen dioxide using channel-resolved above threshold ionization (CRATI) as the probe process. This method relies on photoelectron-photoion coincidence and covariance to correlate the strong-field photoelectron spectrum with ionic fragments, which label the channel. In all ionization channels observed, we report apparent oscillations in the ion and photoelectron yields as a function of pump-probe delay. Further, we observe the presence of a persistent, time-invariant above threshold ionization comb in the photoelectron spectra associated with most ionization channels at long time delays. These observations are interpreted in terms of single-pump-photon excitation to the first excited electronic X̃ ²A₁ state and multi-pump-photon excitations to higher-lying states. The short time delay (<100 fs) dynamics in the fragment channels show multi-photon pump signatures of higher-lying neutral state dynamics, in data sets recorded with higher pump intensities. As expected for pumping NO₂ at 399 nm, non-adiabatic coupling was seen to rapidly re-populate the ground state following excitation to the first excited electronic state, within 200 fs. Subsequent intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution results in the spreading of the ground state vibrational wavepacket into the asymmetric stretch coordinate, allowing the wavepacket to explore nuclear geometries in the asymptotic region of the ground state potential energy surface. Signatures of the vibrationally "hot" ground state wavepacket were observed in the CRATI spectra at longer time delays. This study highlights the complex and sometimes competing phenomena that can arise in strong-field ionization probing of excited state molecular dynamics.

Time-resolved photoion and photoelectron imaging of NO2

Time-resolved photoion and photoelectron velocity mapped images from NO(2) excited close to its first dissociation limit [to NO(X(2)Pi) + O((3)P(2))] have been recorded in a two colour pump-probe experiment, using the frequency-doubled and frequency-tripled output of a regeneratively amplified titanium-sapphire laser. At least three processes are responsible for the observed transient signals; a negative pump-probe signal (corresponding to a 266 nm pump), a very short-lived transient close to the cross-correlation of the pump and probe pulses but on the 400 nm pump side, and a longer-lived positive pump-probe signal that exhibits a signature of wavepacket motion (oscillations). These transients have two main origins; multiphoton excitation of the Rydberg states of NO(2) by both 266 and 400 nm light, and electronic relaxation in the 1(2)B(2) state of NO(2), which leads to a quasi-dissociated NO(2) high in the 1(2)A(1) electronic ground state and just below the dissociation threshold. The wavepacket motion that we observe is ascribed to states exhibiting free rotation of the O atom about the NO moiety. These states, which are common for loosely bound systems such as a van der Waals complex but unusual for a chemically-bound molecule, have previously been observed in the frequency domain by optical double resonance spectroscopy but never before in the time domain.

Intense-field modulation of NO2 multiphoton dissociation dynamics

We report on the dynamics of multiphoton excitation and dissociation of NO(2) at wavelengths between 395 and 420 nm and intensities between 4 and 10 TW cm(-2). The breakup of the molecule is monitored by NO A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=1,0-->X (2)Pi(r)n(")=0 fluorescence as a function of time delay between the driving field and a probe field which depletes the emission. It is found that generation of n(')=0 and 1 NO A (2)Sigma(+) results in different fluorescence modulation patterns due to the intense probe field. The dissociation dynamics are interpreted in terms of nuclear motions over light-induced potentials formed by coupling of NO(2) valence and Rydberg states to the applied field. Based on this model, it is argued that the time and intensity dependences of A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=0-->X (2)Pi(r)n(")=0 fluorescence are consistent with delayed generation of NO A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=0 via a light-induced bond-hardening brought about by the transient coupling of the dressed A (2)B(2) and Rydberg 3ssigma (2)Sigma(g) (+) states of the parent molecule. The increasingly prompt decay of A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=1-->X (2)Pi(r)n(")=0 fluorescence with increasing intensity, on the other hand, is consistent with a direct surface crossing between the X (2)A(1) and 3ssigma (2)Sigma(g) (+) dressed states to generate vibrationally excited products.

Rotational state-dependent mixings between resonance states of vibrationally highly excited DCO (X̃ 2A′)

Rotational state-dependent mixings between highly excited resonance states of DCO (X (2)A(')) were investigated by stimulated emission pumping spectroscopy via a series of intermediate rotational levels in the B (2)A(') electronic state of the radical. Two examples for such interactions, between pairs of accidentally nearly degenerate vibrational states at energies of E(v) approximately 6450 and E(v) approximately 10 060 cm(-1), respectively, were analyzed in detail. Deperturbations of the measured spectra provided the zeroth-order vibration-rotation term energies, widths, and rotational constants of the states and the absolute values of the vibrational coupling matrix elements. The coupled states turned out to have very different A rotational constants so that their mixings switch on or off as they are tuned relative to each other as function of the K(a) rotational quantum number. The respective zeroth-order states could be assigned to different interlaced vibrational polyads. Thus, when two states belonging to different polyads are accidentally nearly isoenergetic, even very weak interpolyad interactions may start to play important roles. The derived interpolyad coupling elements are small compared to the typical intrapolyad coupling terms so that their influences on the vibrational term energies are small. However, large effects on the widths (i.e., decay rates) of the states can be observed even from weak coupling terms when a narrow, long-lived state is perturbed by a broad, highly dissociative state. This influence contributes to the previously observed strong state-to-state fluctuations of the unimolecular decay rates of the DCO radical as function of vibrational excitation. Similar mechanisms are likely to promote the transition to "statistical" rates in many larger molecules.

Dissociative multiphoton ionization of NO[sub 2] studied by time-resolved imaging

We have studied dissociative multiphoton ionization of NO2 by time-resolved velocity map imaging in a two-color pump-probe experiment using the 400 and 266 nm harmonics of a regeneratively amplified titanium-sapphire laser. We observe that most of the ion signal appears as NO+ with approximately 0.28 eV peak kinetic energy. Approximately 600 fs period oscillations indicative of wave packet motion are also observed in the NO+ decay. We attribute the signal to two competitive mechanisms. The first involving three-photon 400 nm absorption followed by dissociative ionization of the pumped state by a subsequent 266 nm photon. The second involving one-photon 400 nm absorption to the 2B2 state of NO2 followed by two-photon dissociative ionization at 266 nm. This interpretation is derived from the observation that the total NO+ ion signal exhibits biexponential decay, 0.72 exp(-t/90+/-10)+0.28 exp(-t/4000+/-400), where t is the 266 nm delay in femtoseconds. The fast decay of the majority of the NO+ signal suggests a direct dissociation via the bending mode of the pumped state. .

Treatment of the K-quantum number in unimolecular reaction theory: insights from product correlations

The connection between the K-quantum number and product correlations in the barrierless unimolecular dissociation of symmetric-top molecules is explored to establish a qualitative diagnostic for the treatment of the K-rotor dynamics in unimolecular reaction theory. We find that fragment scalar and vector correlations can provide guidance in this matter, and the photodissociation dynamics of thermal NCNO to form CN and NO at several dissociation wavelengths are presented to demonstrate the utility of this approach. The "goodness" of the K-quantum number can be related to the amount of energy in the conserved vibrational modes at the inner transition state. On the basis of measured correlated vibrational distributions, the K-quantum number is found to be approximately conserved at the inner transition state for the photodissociation of NCNO at 514, 520, and 526 nm. The methodology, involving a comparison of product distributions from the photodissociation of jet and thermal ensembles at identical wavelengths, is general and may be applied to previously studied systems that dissociate along barrierless potential energy surfaces, CF(3)NO and CH(2)CO. In addition, vector correlations serve as a means to probe the K-mixing at the outer transition state, and measured v-j correlations in the photodissociation of thermal NCNO are presented.