P. Roy

Performance of the AILES THz‐Infrared beamline at SOLEIL for High resolution spectroscopy

The new THz beamline (AILES) located at the third generation Synchrotron Radiation source SOLEIL is now operating for applications in a wide variety of research themes. In particular, this source with its adapted optics allows high resolution spectroscopic measurements of molecules in the entire infrared and THz range. This presentation focuses on the performances concerning flux, spectral range and stability for molecular spectroscopy. Thanks to these performances, the coupling of synchrotron radiation from a highly stable third generation source with high resolution FTIR spectrometer and with a long path cell (150 m or more) can be particularly advantageous. This fact is related to the optics of the beamline permitting the entire source to be used without aperture stop (entrance iris), even for measurements at highest‐resolution of ∼0.1 μeV (10−3u2009cm−1).

Gas-Phase Vibrational Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Study of Organophosphorous Compounds: Discrimination between Species and Conformers

Gas phase vibrational spectra of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), trimethyl phosphate (TMP), and triethyl phosphate (TEP) have been measured using FTIR spectroscopy. For DMMP, TMP, and TEP, most of the infrared active vibrational modes have been observed in the 50-5000 cm (-1) spectral range, allowing an unambiguous discrimination between the three molecules. The vibrational analysis of the spectra was performed by comparing with MP2 and B3LYP harmonic and anharmonic force field ab initio calculations. The extension to anharmonic calculations provides the best agreement for the mid-infrared and the near-infrared spectra, but they do not improve the harmonic frequency predictions in the far-infrared domain. This part of the vibrational spectra associated with collective and nonlocalized vibrational modes presents the largest frequency differences between the two lowest energy conformers of DMMP and TMP. These two conformers were taken into account in the vibrational assignment of the spectra. Their experimental evidence was obtained by deconvoluting vibrational bands in the mid-infrared and in the far-infrared regions, respectively. For TEP, the conformational landscape appears very complicated at ambient temperature, and a further analysis at low temperature is required to explain the vibrational features of each conformer.

The far infrared spectrum of naphthalene characterized by high resolution synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy and anharmonic DFT calculations

Using synchrotron radiation, we performed the rotationally resolved Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy of three bands of naphthalene C10H8, namely ν(46)-0 (centered at 782 cm(-1), 12.7 μm), ν(47)-0 (centered at 474 cm(-1), 21 μm), and ν(48)-0 (centered at 167 cm(-1), 60 μm). The intense CH bending out of plane ν(46)-0 band was recorded under supersonic jet-cooled conditions using a molecular beam (the Jet-AILES apparatus) and the low frequency ν(47)-0 and ν(48)-0 bands were measured at room temperature in a long absorption path cell. The simultaneous rotational analysis of these bands permitted us to refine the ground state (GS) and ν(46) rotational spectroscopic constants and to provide the first sets of constants for the ν(47) and ν(48) modes. The experimental rotational constants were then used as reference data to calibrate theoretical models in order to provide new insights into the accuracy of anharmonic calculations. The B97-1 functional associated with the cc-pVTZ and ANO-RCC basis sets gave a consistent set of results, for rotational constants and fundamental frequencies. The data presented here pave the way for the search of naphthalene through its far-infrared spectrum in different objects of the interstellar medium.

The (CH2)2O-H2O hydrogen bonded complex. Ab Initio calculations and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy from neon matrix and a new supersonic jet experiment coupled to the infrared AILES beamline of synchrotron SOLEIL.

A series of hydrogen bonded complexes involving oxirane and water molecules have been studied. In this paper we report on the vibrational study of the oxirane-water complex (CH(2))(2)O-H(2)O. Neon matrix experiments and ab initio anharmonic vibrational calculations have been performed, providing a consistent set of vibrational frequencies and anharmonic coupling constants. The implementation of a new large flow supersonic jet coupled to the Bruker IFS 125 HR spectrometer at the infrared AILES beamline of the French synchrotron SOLEIL (Jet-AILES) enabled us to record first jet-cooled Fourier transform infrared spectra of oxirane-water complexes at different resolutions down to 0.2 cm(-1). Rovibrational parameters and a lower bound of the predissociation lifetime of 25 ps for the v(OH)(b) = 1 state have been derived from the rovibrational analysis of the ν(OH)(b) band contour recorded at respective rotational temperatures of 12 K (Jet-AILES) and 35 K (LADIR jet).

Gas-phase synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy of weakly volatile alkyl phosphonate and alkyl phosphate compounds: vibrational and conformational analysis in the terahertz/far-IR spectral domain.

The high brilliance of the AILES beamline at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility has been exploited for the study of the gas-phase vibrational spectra of weakly volatile organophosphorous compounds. The propagation of the synchrotron radiation in long path length gas cells allowed improvements in the sensitivity limits and spectral coverage compared with a previous study, performed by our group with conventional thermal sources. A ppm level detection in the entire IR domain up to terahertz (THz) frequencies has been realized for dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), trimethyl phosphate (TMP), triethyl phosphate (TEP), and diethyl (2-methylallyl)phosphonate (DEMaP). In the present study, the assignment of the gas-phase vibrational and the conformational analysis of the two most stable conformers of DMMP and TMP have been extended to the torsional THz spectra in the 20-120 cm(-1) range. The improvement of the S/N ratio below 600 cm(-1) has permitted for the first time a gas-phase conformational analysis of the two weakly volatile and highly flexible TEP and DEMaP compounds. The experimental far-infrared (FIR)/THz spectra have been studied taking into account four low-energy conformers determined by means of high level of theory quantum chemistry calculations. Finally, due to its particularly low vapor pressure, the detection of gas-phase tributyl phosphate (TBP) in the FIR domain was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the mid-IR/near-IR spectra of TBP recorded in a multipass cell heated to 355 K have been assigned with the harmonic vibrational predictions of the most stable conformer.

Synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy of weak torsional bands: A case study of cis-methyl formate

The far infrared spectrum of cis-methyl formate has been recorded on the AILES beamline of the synchrotron SOLEIL using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer coupled to a long path cell. The very weak fundamental band associated with the methyl-top torsion mode (ν(18)) was observed. The frequency analysis was performed using the rho axis method, and the microwave and millimeter-wave data from the literature. A precise determination of the band origins (ν(18)(A) = 132.4303 cm(-1) and ν(18)(E) = 131.8445 cm(-1)) and of the barrier height [V(3) = 370.7398 (58) cm(-1)] have been obtained. The intensity of the ν(18) fundamental band was determined to be 3.4 × 10(-21) cm(-1)∕(molecule cm(-2)) at 297 K, equally shared among A-A and E-E transitions, thus leading to a dipole moment component μ(c)(3) equal to 0.0483 D. The results were compared with the ab initio calcula-tions of Senent et al. [Astrophys. J. 627, 567 (2005)].

The cyclic ground state structure of the HF trimer revealed by far infrared jet-cooled Fourier transform spectroscopy

The rovibrationally resolved Fourier transform (FT) far infrared (FIR) spectra of two intermolecular librations of (HF)3, namely the in-plane ν6 and out-of-plane ν4 bending fundamentals centered, respectively, at about 494 cm(-1) and 602 cm(-1), have been recorded for the first time under jet-cooled conditions using the supersonic jet of the Jet-AILES apparatus. The simultaneous rotational analysis of 245 infrared transitions belonging to both bands enabled us to determine the ground state (GS), ν6 and ν4 rotational and centrifugal distortion constants. These results provided definite experimental answers to the structure of such a weakly bound trimer: firstly the vibrationally averaged planarity of cyclic (HF)3, also supported by the very small value of the inertia defect obtained in the GS, secondly the slight weakening of the hydrogen bond in the intermolecular excited states evidenced from the center of mass separations of the HF constituents determined in the ground, ν6 = 1 and ν4 = 1 states of (HF)3 as well as the decrease of the fitted rotational constants upon excitation. Finally, lower bounds of about 2 ns on ν6 and ν4 state lifetimes could be derived from the deconvolution of experimental linewidths. Such long lifetimes highlight the interest in probing low frequency intermolecular motions of molecular complexes to get rid of constraints related to the vibrational dynamics of coupled anharmonic vibrations at higher energy, resulting in loss of rotational information.

High-resolution spectroscopy and analysis of the V2 + V3 combination band of SF6 in a supersonic jet expansion

Sulphur hexafluoride is a very strong greenhouse gas whose concentration is increasing in the atmosphere. It is detected through infrared absorption spectroscopy in the strong ν3 fundamental region. Due to the existence of low-lying vibrational states of this molecule, however, many hot bands arise at room temperature and those are still not known. We present here a contribution to the elucidation of this hot band structure, by analysing the ν2 + ν3 combination band. We use a supersonic jet expansion high-resolution spectrum at a rotational temperature of ca. 25 K that was recorded thanks to the Jet-AILES setup at the Source Optimisée de Lumière d’Energie Intermédiaire du LURE (SOLEIL) Synchrotron. The simplified structure of this cold spectrum allowed us to assign 444 rovibrational lines and to fit effective Hamiltonian parameters, leading to a very satisfactory spectrum simulation. The parameters obtained in this way allow to calculate the spectrum of the ν3+ν2−ν2 hot band.

Gas phase THz spectroscopy of toxic agent simulant compounds using the AILES synchrotron beamline

A new study is currently underway aiming at recording and assigning the gas phase rovibrational spectra of several organophosphorus and organosulphur compounds in the THz frequency domain. Thanks to the exceptional properties of flux, brilliance and spectral range of the AILES beamline coupled to the FTIR spectrometer, the gas phase vibrational spectra of low volatility organophosphorous compounds have been recorded across the entire THz frequency range. High resolution FTIR spectroscopy was used to record the pure rotational and the low‐frequency rovibrational spectrum of DMSO. A comparison between the spectra measured with the AILES beamline and the spectra obtained with optoelectronic THz sources is possible.

High-resolution spectroscopy of difference and combination bands of SF6 to elucidate the ν3 + ν1 − ν1 and ν3 + ν2 − ν2 hot band structures in the ν3 region

The strong infrared absorption in the ν3 S–F stretching region of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) near 948 cm−1 makes it a powerful greenhouse gas. Although its present concentration in the atmosphere is very low, it is increasing rapidly, due to industrial pollution. The ground state population of this heavy species is only 32% at room temperature and thus many hot bands are present. Consequently, a reliable remote-sensing spectroscopic detection and monitoring of this species require an accurate modelling of these hot bands. We used two experimental set-ups at the SOLEIL French synchrotron facility to record some difference and combination bands of SF6: (1) a new cryogenic multiple pass cell with 93 m optical path length and regulated at 163 ± 2 K temperature and (2) the Jet-AILES supersonic expansion set-up. With this, we could obtain high-resolution absorption spectra of the ν3 − ν1, ν3 − ν2, ν1 + ν3 and ν2 + ν3 bands at low temperature. These spectra could be assigned and analysed, thanks to the SPVIEW and XTDS computer programs developed in Dijon. We performed two global fits of effective Hamiltonian parameters. The first one is a global fit of the ground state, ν2, ν3, ν3 − ν2, ν2 + ν3, 2ν3 and 2ν3 − ν3 rovibrational parameters, using the present spectra and previous infrared, Raman and two-photon absorption data. This allows a consistent refinement of the effective Hamiltonian parameters for all the implied vibrational levels and a new simulation of the 2ν3 + ν2 − ν2 hot band. The second global fit involves the present ν3 − ν1 and ν1 + ν3 lines, together with previous ν1 Raman data, in order to obtain refined ν1 parameters and also ν1 + ν3 parameters in a consistent way. This allows to simulate the ν3 + ν1 − ν1 hot band.