Quantum study of the rovibrational relaxation of HF by collision with 4He on a new potential energy surface

The HF molecule is considered the main reservoir of fluorine in the interstellar medium (ISM). Also, the interactions of this molecule with the most common atoms and molecules in the ISM have attracted great interest from the astrochemical community. Collisions between HF and helium have recently caused controversy following a study using a two-dimensional SAPT potential energy surface (PES) that exhibited large discrepancies with previous scattering calculations based on more recent ab initio potentials. To address this issue, our current work aims to develop the most precise three-dimensional PES for the HF+He system. We employ the size-consistent CCSD(T) method in conjunction with the aug-cc-pV6Z basis set. The main features of the new PES as well as the bound states of the He-HF complex are compared to the existing data. The new PES is then utilised to conduct close coupling calculations that demonstrate He-HF as a good instance of vibration-rotation near resonant energy transfer. The novel rate coefficients will be accessible via the BASECOL database, and the use of the new PES is advised when describing HF in helium droplets.

A rigid bender study of the bending relaxation H2O and D2O by collisions with Ar

The bending relaxation of H2O and D2O by collisions with Ar is studied at the Close Coupling level. Two new 4D PES are developed for these two systems. They are tested by performing rigid rotor calculations as well as computing the D2O-Ar  bound states. The results are compared with available theoretical and experimental data. Propensity rules for the dynamics are discussed and compared to those of H2O colliding with  Ne or He. The bending relaxation cross sections and rates are then calculated for these two systems. The results are analysed and compared with available experimental data.

A Comparative Study of the Cold Collisions of H2O and D2O with Ne

The present work is dedicated to the first theoretical study of the rotationally inelastic collisions of Ne with H₂O and its isotopologue D₂O in an attempt to analyze the effect on the dynamics of H substitution by deuterium. To this aim two new potential energy surfaces are developed. Their quality is tested by computing the bound states of the complexes and comparing them with those most recently reported by other teams. System-specific collisional propensity rules are inferred for these two systems by analyzing the computed state-to-state cross sections at low and higher collision energy. The application of the Alexander parity index propensity rule is also discussed, and the present results are compared with those obtained for the collisions with other noble gases.

Hyperthermal Dynamics and Kinetics of the C(3P) + N2(X1Σg+) → CN(X2Σ+) + N(4S) Reaction

The hyperthermal dynamics and kinetics of the title reaction, which plays an important role in hypersonic chemistry for atmospheric entry vehicles, are investigated using quasi-classical trajectory methods on a recently developed ground electronic state potential energy surface. The dynamics calculations indicated that the reaction follows a complex-forming mechanism, despite its large endoergicity. The calculated differential cross section is forward-backward symmetric, consistent with a long-lived reaction intermediate supported by the NCN potential well. The lifetime of the reaction complex is sufficiently long that the vibrational distribution of the CN product can be predicted by the phase space theory. The calculated vibrational state specific and thermal rate coefficients follow the Arrhenius behavior, and the agreement with existing low-temperature experimental thermal rate coefficients is satisfactory. Extrapolations to high temperatures relevant to hypersonic conditions are provided.

An explicitly correlated six-dimensional potential energy surface for the SiCSi + H2 complex

The first six-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) for the SiCSi + H₂ complex is presented in this work. This surface is developed from a large number of ab initio energies computed at the explicitly correlated coupled-cluster level of theory together with the augmented correlation-consistent polarized valence triple zeta basis set (CCSD(T)-F12/aug-cc-pVTZ). These energies are fitted to an analytical function through a procedure that combines spline, least-squares, and kernel-based methods. Two minimums of similar depths were found at the equilibrium geometry of the SiCSi molecule. The dependence of the PES on the bending angle is analyzed. Furthermore, a reduced four-dimensional PES averaged over the H₂ orientation is presented. Finally, the six-dimensional PES is used for computing the second virial coefficient of the SiCSi + H₂ pair using classical and semi-classical methods.

Study of the CN(X2Σ+) + N(4S) Reaction at High Temperatures: Potential Energy Surface and Thermal Rate Coefficients

Reactions involving C and N play an essential role in the chemistry around the surface of a hypersonic spacecraft during its atmospheric re-entry. The collision of CN with other molecules and atoms has particular interest in aerothermodynamic modeling. This work focuses on the study of the CN + N → N₂ + C reaction in the triplet manifold ³A″ of CN₂. A high-level full-dimensional potential energy surface for this system is developed from ab initio calculations at the MRCI-F12 + Q level of theory. This surface is employed in quasiclassical trajectory calculations, and thermal rate coefficients from 100 to 20,000 K are computed. The rates for the formation of N₂ are compared with the available experimental data, and good agreement is found. At low and intermediate temperatures, the N₂ formation is more efficient than the N-exchange process, while at high temperatures, the rates for both processes are comparable. Finally, analytically modified Arrhenius expressions for the reaction rates of N₂ formation and N-exchange are reported.

A close coupling study of the bending relaxation of H2O by collision with He

We present a close coupling study of the bending relaxation of H₂O by collision with He, taking explicitly into account the bending-rotation coupling within the rigid-bender close-coupling method. A 4D potential energy surface is developed based on a large grid of ab initio points calculated at the coupled-cluster single double triple level of theory. The bound states energies of the He-H₂O complex are computed and found to be in excellent agreement with previous theoretical calculations. The dynamics results also compare very well with the rigid-rotor results available in the Basecol database and with experimental data for both rotational transitions and bending relaxation. The bending-rotation coupling is also demonstrated to be very efficient in increasing bending relaxation when the rotational excitation of H₂O increases.

Rotational Transitions of HOC+ Induced by Collision with He at Low Temperatures

The HOC⁺ molecule has for long been detected in several regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). The collisional ro-vibrational rate coefficients of this molecule with the most common colliders in the ISM are then required for applying nonlocal thermal equilibrium models. However, this molecule has a low bending frequency (249 cm^-1), and the use of the rigid rotor approximation is therefore limited to low collision energies. Also, the complete determination of the ro-vibrational rate coefficients of HOC⁺ in collision with He requires including the bending motion in the analytical model of the potential energy surface (PES) of the system. The first goal of this work is then to develop the first rigid bender four-dimensional PES for the interaction between HOC⁺ and He. To this aim, a large grid of ab initio energies are computed at the CCSD(T)-F12b/aug-cc-pVQZ level of theory and an analytical representation of the PES is obtained using a combination of least square and reproducing kernel Hilbert space procedures. The global minimum of this PES is found to be reached for a linear configuration of the complex. In the second part of this study, rigid rotor close-coupling calculations are performed at low collision energy, and the calculated rate coefficients are compared to those previously determined for the collisions of He with its HCO⁺ isomer.

Reactive collisions for NO(2Π) + N(4S) at temperatures relevant to the hypersonic flight regime

Rate coefficients for the NO(²Π) + N(⁴S) reaction at high temperatures from quasiclassical trajectories using MRCI+Q PESs of the lowest triplet states.

Quantum and quasiclassical trajectory studies of rotational relaxation in Ar–N2+ collisions

Quantum and classical study of the Ar–N₂⁺ collision based on a new potential energy surface.

Rotational relaxation of CS by collision with ortho- and para-H2 molecules

Quantum mechanical investigation of the rotationally inelastic collisions of CS with ortho- and para-H2 molecules is reported. The new global four-dimensional potential energy surface presented in our recent work is used. Close coupling scattering calculations are performed in the rigid rotor approximation for ortho- and para-H2 colliding with CS in the j = 0-15 rotational levels and for collision energies ranging from 10(-2) to 10(3) cm(-1). The cross sections and rate coefficients for selected rotational transitions of CS are compared with the ones previously reported for the collision of CS with He. The largest discrepancies are observed at low collision energy, below 1 cm(-1). Above 10 cm(-1), the approximation using the square root of the relative mass of the colliders to calculate the cross sections between a molecule and H2 from the data available with (4)He is found to be a good qualitative approximation. The rate coefficients calculated with the electron gas model for the He-CS system show more discrepancy with our accurate results. However, scaling up these rates by a factor of 2 gives a qualitative agreement.