New experimental and theoretical aspects of overtone spectroscopy
 
Lauri Halonen
 
Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, P.O. Box 55 (A. I. Virtasen aukio 1), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, FINLAND
 
The laser-induced dispersed fluorescence method has been developed to investigate vibration-rotation states of gaseous polyatomic molecules in the ground electronic state [1 - 3]. A specific molecular rovibrational state in the wave number region 10 500 - 14 000 cm-1 is pumped by a high-resolution Titanium:Sapphire ring laser. The sample cell with a parabolic mirror is placed inside the ring-laser cavity. The resulting fluorescence from the sample is collected and then dispersed by an interferometer. We have applied this technique to acetylene and water, in which collision-induced spectra are observed. The strongest fluorescence transitions correspond to the Delta(v) = 1 change in the hydrogen stretching vibrational quantum number. In C2H2, we have observed a number of symmetrical states ([40+]0, [30+]0, and [20+]1, where the first two numbers refer to the CH oscillators and the last one refers to the CC oscillator). These would not be accessible by one-photon transitions from the ground vibrational state. Neither in acetylene nor in water changes in nuclear spin states due to molecular collisions have been detected. In water, we have verified the experimental fluorescence intensity patterns using the discrete variable method with an exact kinetic energy operator and an Eckart frame dipole surface.

Overtone Hamiltonians have been developed and applied to molecular systems involving large amplitude motions [4 - 6]. Our general strategy is to assume that both the kinetic and potential energy parameters are functions of the large amplitude coordinates. In practice, these functional dependencies can be determined by electronic structure calculations. We have applied our methods particularly to methanol and ammonia, which include a large amplitude torsional and inversion mode, respectively.
 

[1] P. Jungner and L. Halonen, Laser-induced vibration-rotation fluorescence and infrared forbidden transitions in acetylene, J. Chem. Phys. 107, 1680 - 1682 (1997).
[2] M. Saarinen, D. Permogorov, and L. Halonen, Collision-induced vibration-rotation fluorescence spectra and rovibrational symmetry changes in acetylene, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 1424 - 1428 (1999).
[3] M. Nela, D. Permogorov, A. Miani, and L. Halonen, Vibration-rotation fluorescence spectra of water in the ground electronic state, J. Chem. Phys., accepted for publication.
[4] L. Halonen, Theoretical study of overtone spectroscopy and dynamics of methanol, J. Chem. Phys. 106, 7931 - 7945 (1997).
[5] V. Haenninen, M. Horn, and L. Halonen, Torsional motion and vibrational overtone spectroscopy of methanol, J. Chem. Phys. 111, 3018 - 3026 (1999).
[6] A. Miani, V. Haenninen, M. Horn, and L. Halonen, Anharmonic force field of methanol, Mol. Phys., accepted for publication.