Wenrui Dong

Experimental and Theoretical Differential Cross Sections for a Four-Atom Reaction: HD + OH → H2O + D

A theoretical analysis of a four-atom reaction has a level of detail and accuracy previously restricted to three-atom systems. Quantum dynamical theories have progressed to the stage in which state-to-state differential cross sections can now be routinely computed with high accuracy for three-atom systems since the first such calculation was carried out more than 30 years ago for the H + H2 system. For reactions beyond three atoms, however, highly accurate quantum dynamical calculations of differential cross sections have not been feasible. We have recently developed a quantum wave packet method to compute full-dimensional differential cross sections for four-atom reactions. Here, we report benchmark calculations carried out for the prototypical HD + OH → H2O + D reaction on an accurate potential energy surface that yield differential cross sections in excellent agreement with those from a high-resolution, crossed–molecular beam experiment.

Breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation in the F+ o-D2 -> DF + D reaction.

The reaction of F with H2 and its isotopomers is the paradigm for an exothermic triatomic abstraction reaction. In a crossed-beam scattering experiment, we determined relative integral and differential cross sections for reaction of the ground F(2P3/2) and excited F*(2P1/2) spin-orbit states with D2 for collision energies of 0.25 to 1.2 kilocalorie/mole. At the lowest collision energy, F* is ∼1.6 times more reactive than F, although reaction of F* is forbidden within the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. As the collision energy increases, the BO-allowed reaction rapidly dominates. We found excellent agreement between multistate, quantum reactive scattering calculations and both the measured energy dependence of the F*/F reactivity ratio and the differential cross sections. This agreement confirms the fundamental understanding of the factors controlling electronic nonadiabaticity in abstraction reactions.

Transition-State Spectroscopy of Partial Wave Resonances in the F + HD Reaction

Partial View Skilled billiard players can easily predict how spinning of one ball will affect the trajectory of the second ball it strikes in a collision. In principle, quantum mechanics can be used to predict the analogous impact of the angular momentum of reagents on the outcome of a chemical reaction. In practice, however, observation of most chemical reactions—even in the confines of a molecular beam apparatus—encompasses a vast number of collisions over multiple angular momentum distributions. Dong et al. (p. 1501; see the Perspective by Althorpe) have honed their spectroscopic resolution sufficiently to distinguish the impact of subtle angular momentum variations on the reactivity of fluorine with hydrogen atoms. Their data agree with theory and reveal oscillating peaks in reaction probability, termed partial wave resonances. Spectroscopy can distinguish the reaction paths in a collision between an atom and a diatomic system. Partial wave resonances, quasi-bound resonance states with well-defined rotation in the transition state region of a chemical reaction, play a governing role in reaction dynamics but have eluded direct experimental characterization. Here, we report the observation of individual partial wave resolved resonances in the F + HD → HF + D reaction by measuring the collision energy–dependent, angle- and state-resolved differential cross section with extremely high resolution, providing a spectroscopic probe to the transition state of F + HD → HF + D. The agreement of the data with the high-level theoretical calculations confirms the sensitivity of this probe to the subtle quantum mechanical factors guiding this benchmark reaction.

The Extent of Non–Born-Oppenheimer Coupling in the Reaction of Cl(2P) with para-H2

Elementary triatomic reactions offer a compelling test of our understanding of the extent of electron-nuclear coupling in chemical reactions, which is neglected in the widely applied Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The BO approximation predicts that in reactions between chlorine (Cl) atoms and molecular hydrogen, the excited spin-orbit state (Cl*) should not participate to a notable extent. We report molecular beam experiments, based on hydrogen-atom Rydberg tagging detection, that reveal only a minor role of Cl*. These results are in excellent agreement with fully quantum-reactive scattering calculations based on two sets of ab initio potential energy surfaces. This study resolves a previous disagreement between theory and experiment and confirms our ability to simulate accurately chemical reactions on multiple potential energy surfaces.

Probing the resonance potential in the F atom reaction with hydrogen deuteride with spectroscopic accuracy

Reaction resonances are transiently trapped quantum states along the reaction coordinate in the transition state region of a chemical reaction that could have profound effects on the dynamics of the reaction. Obtaining an accurate reaction potential that holds these reaction resonance states and eventually modeling quantitatively the reaction resonance dynamics is still a great challenge. Up to now, the only viable way to obtain a resonance potential is through high-level ab initio calculations. Through highly accurate crossed-beam reactive scattering studies on isotope-substituted reactions, the accuracy of the resonance potential could be rigorously tested. Here we report a combined experimental and theoretical study on the resonance-mediated F + HD → HF + D reaction at the full quantum state resolved level, to probe the resonance potential in this benchmark system. The experimental result shows that isotope substitution has a dramatic effect on the resonance picture of this important system. Theoretical analyses suggest that the full-dimensional FH2 ground potential surface, which was believed to be accurate in describing the resonance picture of the F + H2 reaction, is found to be insufficiently accurate in predicting quantitatively the resonance picture for the F + HD → HF + D reaction. We constructed a global potential energy surface by using the CCSD(T) method that could predict the correct resonance peak positions as well as the dynamics for both F + H2 → HF + H and F + HD → HF + D, providing an accurate resonance potential for this benchmark system with spectroscopic accuracy.

HF(v′ = 3) forward scattering in the F + H2 reaction: Shape resonance and slow-down mechanism

Crossed molecular beam experiments and accurate quantum dynamics calculations have been carried out to address the long standing and intriguing issue of the forward scattering observed in the F + H2 → HF(v′ = 3) + H reaction. Our study reveals that forward scattering in the reaction channel is not caused by Feshbach or dynamical resonances as in the F + H2 → HF(v′ = 2) + H reaction. It is caused predominantly by the slow-down mechanism over the centrifugal barrier in the exit channel, with some small contribution from the shape resonance mechanism in a very small collision energy regime slightly above the HF(v′ = 3) threshold. Our analysis also shows that forward scattering caused by dynamical resonances can very likely be accompanied by forward scattering in a different product vibrational state caused by a slow-down mechanism.

Optical preparation of H2 rovibrational levels with almost complete population transfer.

Using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (SARP), it is possible, in principle, to transfer all the population in a rovibrational level of an isolated diatomic molecule to an excited rovibrational level. We use an overlapping sequence of pump (532 nm) and dump (683 nm) single-mode laser pulses of unequal fluence to prepare isolated H2 molecules in a molecular beam. In a first series of experiments we were able to transfer more than half the population to an excited rovibrational level [N. Mukherjee, W. R. Dong, J. A. Harrison, and R. N. Zare, J. Chem. Phys. 138(5), 051101-1-051101-4 (2013)]. Since then, we have achieved almost complete transfer (97% ± 7%) of population from the H2 (v = 0, J = 0) ground rovibrational level to the H2 (v = 1, J = 0) excited rovibrational level. An explanation is presented of the SARP process and how these results are obtained.

Communication: Transfer of more than half the population to a selected rovibrational state of H2 by Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage

By using Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage (SARP) with partially overlapping nanosecond pump (532 nm) and Stokes (683 nm) laser pulses, 73% ± 6% of the initial ground vibrational state population of H(2) (v = 0, J = 0) is transferred to the single vibrationally excited eigenstate (v = 1, J = 0). In contrast to other Stark chirped Raman adiabatic passage techniques, SARP transfers population from the initial ground state to a vibrationally excited target state of the ground electronic surface without using an intermediate vibronic resonance within an upper electronic state. Parallel linearly polarized, co-propagating pump and Stokes laser pulses of respective durations 6 ns and 4.5 ns, are combined with a relative delay of ~4 ns before orthogonally intersecting the molecular beam of H(2). The pump and Stokes laser pulses have fluences of ~10 J/mm(2) and ~1 J/mm(2), respectively. The intense pump pulse generates the necessary sweeping of the Raman resonance frequency by ac (second-order) Stark shifting the rovibrational levels. As the frequency of the v = 0 → v = 1 Raman transition is swept through resonance in the presence of the strong pump and the weaker delayed Stokes pulses, the population of (v = 0, J = 0) is coherently transferred via an adiabatic passage to (v = 1, J = 0). A quantitative measure of the population transferred to the target state is obtained from the depletion of the ground-state population using 2 + 1 resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The depletion is measured by comparing the REMPI signal of (v = 0, J = 0) at Raman resonance with that obtained when the Stokes pulse is detuned from the Stark-shifted Raman resonance. No depletion is observed with either the pump or the Stokes pulses alone, confirming that the measured depletion is indeed caused by the SARP-induced population transfer from the ground to the target state and not by the loss of molecules from photoionization or photodissociation. The two-photon resonant UV pulse used for REMPI detection is delayed by 20 ns with respect to the pump pulse to avoid the ac Stark shift originating from the pump and Stokes laser pulses. This experiment demonstrates the feasibility of preparing a large ensemble of isolated molecules in a preselected single quantum state without requiring an intermediate vibronic resonance.

Coherent superposition of M-states in a single rovibrational level of H2 by Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage

We prepare an ensemble of isolated rovibrationally excited (v = 1, J = 2) H2 molecules in a phase-locked superposition of magnetic sublevels M using Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage with linearly polarized single-mode pump (at 532 nm, ∼6 ns pulse duration, 200 mJ/pulse) and Stokes (699 nm, ∼4 ns pulse duration, 20 mJ/pulse) laser excitation. A biaxial superposition state, given by [line]ψ(t)⟩ = 1/√(2)[[line]ν = 1, J = 2, M = -2⟩ - [line]ν = 1, J = 2, M = +2⟩], is prepared with linearly but cross-polarized pump and Stokes laser pulses copropagating along the quantization z-axis. The degree of phase coherence is measured by using the O(2) line of the H2 E,F-X (0,1) band via 2 + 1 resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) at 210.8 nm by recording interference fringes in the REMPI signal in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer as the direction of the UV laser polarization is rotated using a half-wave plate. Nearly 60% population transfer from H2 (v = 0, J = 0) ground state to the superposition state in H2 (v = 1, J = 2) is measured from the depletion of the Q(0) line of the E,F-X (0,0) band as the Stokes frequency is tuned across the (v = 0, J = 0) → (v = 1, J = 2) Raman resonance.

High Resolution Crossed Molecular Beams Study on the F+HD→DF+H Reaction at Collision Energy of 8.19–18.98 kJ/mol

The crossed beams scattering dynamics of the F+HD→DF+H reaction have been studied at collision energies ranging from 8.19 kJ/mol to 18.98 kJ/mol using the high resolution H-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight method. Product rotational state-resolved differential cross sections have been measured. Most of the DF products are backward scattered at low collision energies and then gradually shift to the sideway as the collision energy increases. In addition to the backward and sideway scatterings, we have also observed the DF(v′ = 4) product in the forward direction for the first time for this reaction. The forward scattering DF(v = 4) product also increases with the collision energy. Angular and collision energy dependence of the product energy disposals in different degrees of freedom have been determined. Collision energy dependence of the vibrational branching ratios has also been examined. Possible dynamical origins of the forward scattering DF(v′=4) products were discussed.