Emil Zak

The ExoMol database: Molecular line lists for exoplanet and other hot atmospheres

The ExoMol database (www.exomol.com) provides extensive line lists of molecular transitions which are valid over extended temperature ranges. The status of the current release of the database is reviewed and a new data structure is specified. This structure augments the provision of energy levels (and hence transition frequencies) and Einstein A coefficients with other key properties, including lifetimes of individual states, temperature-dependent cooling functions, Lande g-factors, partition functions, cross sections, k-coefficients and transition dipoles with phase relations. Particular attention is paid to the treatment of pressure broadening parameters. The new data structure includes a definition file which provides the necessary information for utilities accessing ExoMol through its application programming interface (API). Prospects for the inclusion of new species into the database are discussed.

A room temperature CO2 line list with ab initio computed intensities

Abstract Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are being closely monitored by remote sensing experiments which rely on knowing line intensities with an uncertainty of 0.5% or better. We report a theoretical study providing rotation–vibration line intensities substantially within the required accuracy based on the use of a highly accurate ab initio dipole moment surface (DMS). The theoretical model developed is used to compute CO2 intensities with uncertainty estimates informed by cross comparing line lists calculated using pairs of potential energy surfaces (PES) and DMS׳s of similar high quality. This yields lines sensitivities which are utilized in reliability analysis of our results. The final outcome is compared to recent accurate measurements as well as the HITRAN2012 database. Transition frequencies are obtained from effective Hamiltonian calculations to produce a comprehensive line list covering all 12C16O2 transitions below 8000 cm − 1 and stronger than 10 − 30 cm /molecule at T = 296 K .

Room temperature line lists for CO2 symmetric isotopologues with ab initio computed intensities

Remote sensing experiments require high-accuracy, preferably sub-percent, line intensities and in response to this need we present computed room temperature line lists for six symmetric isotopologues of carbon dioxide: 13C16O2, 14C16O2, 12C17O2, 12C18O2, 13C17O2 and 13C18O2, covering the range 0–8000 cm−1. Our calculation scheme is based on variational nuclear motion calculations and on a reliability analysis of the generated line intensities. Rotation–vibration wavefunctions and energy levels are computed using the DVR3D software suite and a high quality semi-empirical potential energy surface (PES), followed by computation of intensities using an ab initio dipole moment surface (DMS). Four line lists are computed for each isotopologue to quantify sensitivity to minor distortions of the PES/DMS. Reliable lines are benchmarked against recent state-of-the-art measurements and against the HITRAN2012 database, supporting the claim that the majority of line intensities for strong bands are predicted with sub-percent accuracy. Accurate line positions are generated using an effective Hamiltonian. We recommend the use of these line lists for future remote sensing studies and their inclusion in databases.

Highly accurate intensity factors of pure CO2 lines near 2 μm

Line intensities for carbon dioxide are measured with a novel spectroscopic approach, assisted by an optical frequency comb synthesizer for frequency calibration purposes. The main feature of the spectrometer consists in the exploitation of optical feedback from a V-shaped high-finesse optical resonator to effectively narrow a distributed feedback diode laser at the wavelength of 2 μm. Laser-gas interaction takes place inside an isothermal cell, which is placed on the transmission from the cavity. High quality, self-calibrated, absorption spectra are observed in pure CO2 samples at different gas pressures, in coincidence with three lines of the R-branch of the ν1 + 2ν2 + ν3 band. Line intensities are determined using a global fitting approach in which a manifold of spectra are simultaneously analyzed across the range of pressures between 5 and 100 Torr, sharing a restricted number of unknown parameters. Various sources of uncertainty have been identified and carefully quantified, thus leading to an overall uncertainty ranging between 0.17% and 0.23%. The measured values are in a very good agreement with recent ab initio predictions.

Simulating electric field interactions with polar molecules using spectroscopic databases

Ro-vibrational Stark-associated phenomena of small polyatomic molecules are modelled using extensive spectroscopic data generated as part of the ExoMol project. The external field Hamiltonian is built from the computed ro-vibrational line list of the molecule in question. The Hamiltonian we propose is general and suitable for any polar molecule in the presence of an electric field. By exploiting precomputed data, the often prohibitively expensive computations associated with high accuracy simulations of molecule-field interactions are avoided. Applications to strong terahertz field-induced ro-vibrational dynamics of PH3 and NH3, and spontaneous emission data for optoelectrical Sisyphus cooling of H2CO and CH3Cl are discussed.

Ro-vibronic transition intensities for triatomic molecules from the exact kinetic energy operator; electronic spectrum for the C̃ 1B2 ← X̃ 1A1 transition in SO2

A procedure for calculating ro-vibronic transition intensities for triatomic molecules within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation is reported. Ro-vibrational energy levels and wavefunctions are obtained with the DVR3D suite, which solves the nuclear motion problem with an exact kinetic energy operator. Absolute transition intensities are calculated both with the Franck-Condon approximation and with a full transition dipole moment surface. The theoretical scheme is tested on C̃ 1B2 ← X̃ 1A1 ro-vibronic transitions of SO2. Ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces are generated for this purpose. The calculated ro-vibronic transition intensities and cross sections are compared with the available experimental and theoretical data.

RAPID-ADIABATIC-PASSAGE CONTROL OF RO-VIBRATIONAL POPULATIONS IN POLYATOMIC MOLECULES

We present a simple method for control of ro-vibrational populations in polyatomic molecules in the presence of inhomogeneous electric fields [1]. Cooling and trapping of heavy polar polyatomic molecules has become one of the frontier goals in high-resolution molecular spectroscopy, especially in the context of parity violation measurement in chiral compounds [2]. A key step toward reaching this goal would be development of a robust and efficient protocol for control of populations of ro-vibrational states in polyatomic, often floppy molecules. Here we demonstrate a modification of the stark-chirped rapid-adiabatic-passage technique (SCRAP) [3], designed for achieving high levels of control of rovibrational populations over a selected region in space. The new method employs inhomogeneous electric fields to generate spaceand timecontrolled Stark-shifts of energy levels in molecules. Adiabatic passage between ro-vibrational states is enabled by the pump pulse, which raises the value of the Rabi frequency. This Stark-chirped population transfer can be used in manipulation of population differences between high-field-seeking and low-field-seeking states of molecules in the Stark decelerator [4]. Appropriate timing of voltages on electric rods located along the decelerator combined with a single pump laser renders our method as potentially more efficient than traditional Stark decelerator techniques. Simulations for NH3 show significant improvement in effectiveness of cooling, with respect to the standard ’moving-potential’ method [5]. At the same time a high phase-space acceptance of the molecular packet is maintained.