New experimental insight into the ground state potential surface of triatomic hydrogen

Dynamics of the isotope exchange reaction of D with H3 +, H2D+, and D2H. J Chem Phys 2021;154:084307. [PMID: 33639774 DOI: 10.1063/5.0038434]

We have measured the merged-beams rate coefficient for the titular isotope exchange reactions as a function of the relative collision energy in the range of ∼3 meV-10 eV. The results appear to scale with the number of available sites for deuteration. We have performed extensive theoretical calculations to characterize the zero-point energy corrected reaction path. Vibrationally adiabatic minimum energy paths were obtained using a combination of unrestricted quadratic configuration interaction of single and double excitations and internally contracted multireference configuration interaction calculations. The resulting barrier height, ranging from 68 meV to 89 meV, together with the various asymptotes that may be reached in the collision, was used in a classical over-the-barrier model. All competing endoergic reaction channels were taken into account using a flux reduction factor. This model reproduces all three experimental sets quite satisfactorily. In order to generate thermal rate coefficients down to 10 K, the internal excitation energy distribution of each H₃ ⁺ isotopologue is evaluated level by level using available line lists and accurate spectroscopic parameters. Tunneling is accounted for by a direct inclusion of the exact quantum tunneling probability in the evaluation of the cross section. We derive a thermal rate coefficient of <1×10^-12 cm³ s^-1 for temperatures below 44 K, 86 K, and 139 K for the reaction of D with H₃ ⁺, H₂D⁺, and D₂H⁺, respectively, with tunneling effects included. The derived thermal rate coefficients exceed the ring polymer molecular dynamics prediction of Bulut et al. [J. Phys. Chem. A 123, 8766 (2019)] at all temperatures.

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.

On the (E⊗e)-Jahn-Teller conical intersections in the 3p(E′) and 3d(E″) Rydberg electronic states of triatomic hydrogen

The static and dynamic aspects of the Jahn-Teller (JT) interactions in the 3p(E') and 3d(E") Rydberg electronic states of H3 are analyzed theoretically. The static aspects are discussed based on recent ab initio quantum chemistry results, and the dynamic aspects are examined in terms of the vibronic spectra and nonradiative decay behavior of these states. The adiabatic potential-energy surfaces of these degenerate electronic states are derived from extensive ab initio calculations. The calculated adiabatic potential-energy surfaces are diabatized following our earlier study on this system in its 2p(E') ground electronic state. The nuclear dynamics on the resulting conically intersecting manifold of electronic states is studied by a time-dependent wave-packet approach. Calculations are performed both for the uncoupled and coupled state situations in order to understand the importance of nonadiabatic interactions due to the JT conical intersections in these excited Rydberg electronic states.

Scattering resonances in the simplest chemical reaction

Recent studies of state-resolved angular distributions show the participation of reactive scattering resonances in the simplest chemical reaction. This review is intended for those who wish to learn about the state-of-the-art in the study of the H + H2 reaction family that has made this breakthrough possible. This review is also intended for those who wish to gain insight into the nature of reactive scattering resonances. Following a tour across several fields of physics and chemistry where the concept of resonance has been crucial for the understanding of new phenomena, we offer an operational definition and taxonomy of reactive scattering resonances. We introduce simple intuitive models to illustrate each resonance type. We focus next on the last decade of H + H2 reaction dynamics. Emphasis is placed on the various experimental approaches that have been applied to the search for resonance behavior in the H + H2 reaction family. We conclude by sketching the road ahead in the study of H + H2 reactive scattering resonances.