A reactant-coordinate-based approach to state-to-state differential cross sections for tetratomic reactions

Quantum Dynamics Studies of the Li + Na2 (V = 0, j = 0) → Na + NaLi Reaction on a New Neural Network Potential Energy Surface

The ultracold reaction offers a unique opportunity to elucidate the intricate microscopic mechanism of chemical reactions, and the Na2Li system serves as a pivotal reaction system in the investigation of ultracold reactions. In this work, a high-precision potential energy surface (PES) of the Na2Li system is constructed based on high-level ab initio energy points and the neural network (NN) method, and a proper asymptotic functional form is adopted for the long-range interaction, which is suitable for the study of cold or ultracold collisions. Based on the new NN PES, the dynamics of the Li + Na2 (v = 0, j = 0) → Na + NaLi reaction are studied in the collision energy range of 10-7 to 80 cm-1. In the high collision energy range of 8 to 80 cm-1, the dynamics of the reaction is studied using the time-dependent wave packet method and the statistical quantum mechanical (SQM) method. Comparing the results of the two methods, it is found that the SQM method provides a rough description of the product ro-vibrational state distribution but overestimates the integral cross-section values. With the decrease of collision energy, the reaction differential cross section gradually changes from forward-backward symmetric scattering to predominant forward scattering. In the low collision energy range from 10-7 to 8 cm-1, the SQM method is used to study the reaction dynamics, and the rate constant in the Wigner threshold region is estimated to be 2.87 × 10-10 cm3/s.

Higher-Order Split Operator Schemes for Solving Tetratomic Reactions Using the Time-Dependent Wave Packet Method

In this work, using the time-dependent quantum wave packet method, quite a few typical higher-order split operators (HOSOs) were for the first time applied to calculate the tetratomic reactive scattering processes in the hyperspherical coordinate. It was found that the HOSOs were hardly efficient for a tetratomic reaction calculation, unlike those for a triatomic reactive scattering calculation. We proposed an efficient HOSO with a force gradient (denoted as 2G1 in the main text) for efficiently and accurately calculating a tetratomic reaction using the quantum wave packet method. Several typical tetratomic reactions, such as H2 + OH, HF + OH, and H2 + OH+, are calculated for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed 2G1 in terms of (product state-resolved) reaction probability and inelastic probability, by comparing with the performance of the previously reported various HOSOs. We suggest that the 2G1 propagator could be applied to efficiently calculate a general tetratomic reaction.

Theoretical Development of the Interaction-Asymptotic Region Decomposition Method for Tetratomic Reactive Scattering

An accurate and efficient time-dependent wave packet method is proposed for solving the product state-resolved reaction probabilities of the tetratomic reactive system. In this method, the entire scattering process is divided into the interaction region and multiple asymptotic regions, sharing the same spirit as the interaction-asymptotic region decomposition (IARD) approach in a triatomic reactive scattering process. The hyperspherical coordinate is adopted in the interaction region, while the corresponding Jacobi coordinate is employed in each asymptotic region. Therefore, in this IARD method, the "coordinate problem", the difficulty of expressing the wave function in the entire region using a single coordinate system, can be effectively avoided, and only a very small number of the grid points (or the basis functions) are required. For the numerical illustration, the typical tetratomic reaction H2 + OH with zero total angular momentum is calculated, and compared with other quantum wave packet methods. Our proposed IARD method for the tetratomic reactive system is much more efficient and accurate.

Full-dimensional quantum stereodynamics of the non-adiabatic quenching of OH(A2Σ+) by H2

The Born–Oppenheimer approximation, assuming separable nuclear and electronic motion, is widely adopted for characterizing chemical reactions in a single electronic state. However, the breakdown of the Born–Oppenheimer approximation is omnipresent in chemistry, and a detailed understanding of the non-adiabatic dynamics is still incomplete. Here we investigate the non-adiabatic quenching of electronically excited OH(A²Σ⁺) molecules by H₂ molecules using full-dimensional quantum dynamics calculations for zero total nuclear angular momentum using a high-quality diabatic-potential-energy matrix. Good agreement with experimental observations is found for the OH(X²Π) ro-vibrational distribution, and the non-adiabatic dynamics are shown to be controlled by stereodynamics, namely the relative orientation of the two reactants. The uncovering of a major (in)elastic channel, neglected in a previous analysis but confirmed by a recent experiment, resolves a long-standing experiment–theory disagreement concerning the branching ratio of the two electronic quenching channels.

The breakdown of the Born–Oppenheimer approximation is omnipresent in chemistry and detailed understanding of non-adiabatic dynamics is still incomplete. Now, the non-adiabatic quenching of electronically excited OH(A²Σ⁺) molecules by H₂ has been investigated using full-dimensional quantum dynamics calculations and a high-quality diabatic-potential-energy matrix, providing insight into the branching ratio of the two electronic quenching channels.

Interaction-Asymptotic Region Decomposition Method for an Insertion Reaction: Application to the S(1D) + H2 Reaction

With adjusting principal axes hyperspherical (APH) coordinate in the interaction region, and the Jacobi coordinates in the asymptotic regions, an efficient multidomain interaction-asymptotic region decomposition (IARD) method has been developed to solve the "coordinate problem" in a product-state-resolved reactive scattering calculation using the quantum wave packet method. Although the APH coordinate treats with all three channels equally, and is efficient for describing the interaction region for some direct reactions, it is inefficient for describing the insertion-type reaction due to the singularity problem, such as the S(¹D) + H₂ reaction. To deal with this issue, in this work, the channel-dependent Delves hyperspherical (DH) coordinate is proposed to describe the interaction region using the IARD method. The proposed DH-IARD method was applied to calculate the product-state-resolved reaction probabilities of the H + HD reaction, and the differential and integral cross sections of the typical insertion reaction S(¹D) + H₂. It is found that the new DH-IARD method is much more efficient than the previous APH-IARD method for dealing with insertion reactions. The partial wave resonance structures were observed in the integral cross section. It is found that at a low collision energy, the position of the initial wave packet has to be put far away. Otherwise, the partial wave resonance structures could not be correctly reproduced due to the reef well arising with a large total angular momentum J.

Time-dependent quantum mechanical wave packet dynamics

Starting from a model study of the collinear (H, H₂) exchange reaction in 1959, the time-dependent quantum mechanical wave packet (TDQMWP) method has come a long way in dealing with systems as large as Cl + CH₄. The fast Fourier transform method for evaluating the second order spatial derivative of the wave function and split-operator method or Chebyshev polynomial expansion for determining the time evolution of the wave function for the system have made the approach highly accurate from a practical point of view. The TDQMWP methodology has been able to predict state-to-state differential and integral reaction cross sections accurately, in agreement with available experimental results for three dimensional (H, H₂) collisions, and identify reactive scattering resonances too. It has become a practical computational tool in predicting the observables for many A + BC exchange reactions in three dimensions and a number of larger systems. It is equally amenable to determining the bound and quasi-bound states for a variety of molecular systems. Just as it is able to deal with dissociative processes (without involving basis set expansion), it is able to deal with multi-mode nonadiabatic dynamics in multiple electronic states with equal ease. We present an overview of the method and its strength and limitations, citing examples largely from our own research groups.

Fermi resonance controlled product branching in the H + HOD reaction

Excitation of the first overtone of bending mode results in a significant enhancement in the HD + OH channel due to the 1 : 2 Fermi resonance between the fundamental OD stretch and the first overtone of the bend.

State-to-state mode specificity in H + DOH(νOH = 1) → HD + OH(ν2 = 0) reaction: vibrational non-adiabaticity or local-mode excitation?

State-of-the-art full dimensional state-to-state quantum dynamics reveal a startling observation in which the DOH(ν_OH = 1) molecule reacts with a H atom to produce a vibrationless OH product. This interesting observation is attributed to a small OD excited local-mode component in the reactant wavefunction.

Dynamics of transient speciesviaanion photodetachment

Recent experimental and theoretical advances in transient reaction dynamics probed by photodetachment of polyatomic anions are reviewed.

Recent advances in quantum scattering calculations on polyatomic bimolecular reactions

This review surveys quantum scattering calculations on chemical reactions of polyatomic molecules in the gas phase published in the last ten years.