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At least 127 records · Page 7

An efficient computational scheme for electronic excitation spectra of molecules in solution using the symmetry-adapted cluster–configuration interaction method: The accuracy of excitation energies and intuitive charge-transfer indices

Solvent effects on electronic excitation spectra are considerable in many situations; therefore, we propose an efficient and reliable computational scheme that is based on the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method and the polarizable continuum model (PCM) for describing electronic excitations in solution. The new scheme combines the recently proposed first-order PCM SAC-CI method with the PTE (perturbation theory at the energy level) PCM SAC scheme. This is essentially equivalent to the usual SAC and SAC-CI computations with using the PCM Hartree-Fock orbital and integrals, except for the additional correction terms that represent solute-solvent interactions. The test calculations demonstrate that the present method is a very good approximation of the more costly iterative PCM SAC-CI method for excitation energies of closed-shell molecules in their equilibrium geometry. This method provides very accurate values of electric dipole moments but is insufficient for describing the charge-transfer (CT) indices in polar solvent. The present method accurately reproduces the absorption spectra and their solvatochromism of push-pull type 2,2{sup ′}-bithiophene molecules. Significant solvent and substituent effects on these molecules are intuitively visualized using the CT indices. The present method is the simplest and theoretically consistent extension of SAC-CI method for including PCM environment, and therefore, it is useful for theoretical and computational spectroscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Fluctuations of precipitated electron intensity in flickering auroral arcs

Electron spectra associated with two aurorae observed by ground-based television are reported. One auroral arc was observed to flicker, large variations in the precipitated electron energy occurring on a time scale of 114 ms. The major variations occur at the higher energies of the 0.5-20 keV range covered by the detectors. Changes in the particle flux occur primarily in the pitch angle range 0 to 60 deg. Analysis of the video data shows a larger variation in intensity along the lower border of the arc in keeping with the results of the electron spectra. The second arc was not observed to flicker, and the associated electron spectra and video data show no large variations in precipitated electron energy or video intensity modulation. While pitch-angle distributions tend to be field-aligned in the first arc, the distributions in the second arc are nearly isotropic or peaked from 60 to 90 deg in the downward hemisphere.

Spiger, R. J.↗

Temperature and anion ligand field dependence of LnCl 3 (Ln = Nd, Dy, Sm) electronic absorption spectra in LiCl–KCl eutectic molten salt

A comprehensive knowledge of the coordination, bonding, and speciation of elements in molten salt mixtures is necessary to understand and predict the chemical and physical properties of the salt. Absorption spectroscopy can yield information about the chemistry of species of interest in alkali halide molten salt mixtures by revealing information about the electronic structure and transitions of those species. In this study, ultraviolet (UV), visible (vis), and near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy was used to examine changes to the electronic structure of trivalent Nd, Sm, and Dy in LiCl–KCl eutectic molten salt with changes in temperature and the anion composition of the melt. With increasing temperature, changes to spectral features suggest a distortion of the coordination complexes. Changes to lineshape with the substitution of alternative halide anions were examined and analyzed, revealing differences in the coordination for I – versus F – with the lanthanides. Gaussian peak fitting was used to show that the changes in lineshape with the progressive addition of F – anions can be explained by the superposition of a set of absorption bands from complexes with all Cl – anion ligands and a set of blueshifted absorption bands from complexes containing both F – and Cl – anion ligands. Finally, this work yields a new method to analyze and interpret change to electronic absorption spectra for f-block elements dissolved in alkali halide molten salts as well as new observations of the interactions of larger and smaller halide anions with lanthanides in Cl – -based molten salts.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Theoretical calculations on the electron absorption spectra of selected Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and derivatives

As a theoretical component of the joint effort with the laboratory of Dr. Lou Allamandola to search for potential candidates for interstellar organic carbon compound that are responsible for the visible diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIB's), quantum mechanical calculations were performed on the electron absorption spectra of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and derivatives. In the completed project, 15 different species of naphthalene, its hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives, and corresponding cations and anions were studied. Using semiempirical quantum mechanical method INDO/S, the ground electronic state of each species was evaluated with restricted Hartree-Fock scheme and limited configuration interaction. The lowest energy spin state for each species was used for electron absorption calculations. Results indicate that these calculations are accurate enough to reproduce the spectra of naphthalene cation and anion observed in neon matrix. The spectral pattern of the hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives predicted based on these results indicate that the electron configuration of the pi orbitals of these species is the dominant determinant. A combined list of 19 absorptions calculated from 4500 A to 10,400 A were compiled and suggested as potential candidates that are relevant for the DIB's absorptions. Continued studies on pyrene and derivatives revealed the ground state symmetries and multiplicities of its neutral, anionic, and cationic species. Spectral calculations show that the cation (B(sub 3g)-2) and the anion (A(sub u)-2) are more likely to have low energy absorptions in the regions between 10 kK and 20 kK, similar to naphthalene. These absorptions, together with those to be determined from the hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives of pyrene, can be used to provide additional candidates and suggest experimental work in the search for interstellar compounds that are responsible for DIB's.

Du, Ping↗

Spatially and momentum resolved energy electron loss spectra from an ultra-thin PrNiO{sub 3} layer

We present an experimental approach which allows for the acquisition of spectra from ultra-thin films at high spatial, momentum, and energy resolutions. Spatially and momentum (q) resolved electron energy loss spectra have been obtained from a 12 nm ultra-thin PrNiO{sub 3} layer using a nano-beam electron diffraction based approach which enabled the acquisition of momentum resolved spectra from individual, differently oriented nano-domains and at different positions of the PrNiO{sub 3} thin layer. The spatial and wavelength dependence of the spectral excitations are obtained and characterized after the analysis of the experimental spectra using calculated dielectric and energy loss functions. The presented approach makes a contribution towards obtaining momentum-resolved spectra from nanostructures, thin film, heterostructures, surfaces, and interfaces.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Two-dimensional Fourier transform electronic spectroscopy at a conical intersection

We report measurement and modeling of two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectra of a silicon naphthalocyanine (SiNc) in benzonitrile, a system for which the polarization anisotropy reveals passage through a square-symmetric Jahn-Teller conical intersection in ∼100 fs [D. A. Farrow, W. Qian, E. R. Smith, A. A. Ferro, and D. M. Jonas, J. Chem. Phys. 128, 144510 (2008)]. The measured 2D Fourier transform (FT) spectra indicate loss of electronic coherence on a similar timescale. The 2D spectra arising from femtosecond vibronic dynamics through the conical funnel are modeled by full non-adiabatic treatment of the coupled electronic and vibrational dynamics for a pair of un-damped Jahn-Teller active vibrations responsible for both electronic decoherence and population transfer. Additional damped Jahn-Teller active modes that can cause only decoherence or population transfer are treated with analytical response functions that can be incorporated into the numerical non-adiabatic calculation by exploiting symmetry assignment of degenerate vibronic eigenstates to one of two electronic states. Franck-Condon active totally symmetric modes are incorporated analytically. The calculations reveal that these conical intersection dynamics alone are incapable of destroying the coherence of the initially prepared wavepacket on the experimentally observed timescale and predict an unobserved recurrence in the photon echo slice at ∼200 fs. Agreement with the experimental two-dimensional electronic spectra necessitates a role for totally symmetric vibrational dynamics in causing the echo slice to decay on a ∼100 fs timescale. This extended model also reproduces the ∼100 fs ultrafast electronic anisotropy decay in SiNc when an “asymmetric solvation mode” with a small stabilization energy of ∼2 cm{sup −1} is included. Although calculations show that inhomogeneities in the energy gap between excited states can broaden the anti-diagonal 2D lineshape, the anti-diagonal width is dominated by totally symmetric vibrational motions in SiNc. For this shallow conical intersection, the non-adiabatic dynamics destroy electronic coherence more slowly than they destroy electronic alignment.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Magnetic phases in lunar material and their electron magnetic resonance spectra - Apollo 14.

Electron magnetic resonance spectra of soil samples 14163,68, 14148,31, 14149,47, 14156,31, and 14003,60, and of fragmental rocks 14301,66, 14303,42, 14310,68, 14311,36, 14318,36, and 14321,166 have been recorded at 9 and 35 GHz at 300 K and at 9 GHz at 130 K. One spectral component, the characteristic ferromagnetic resonance, of all the soil samples is 50 to 1000 times more intense than any other component in the soils or in the spectra of the rocks. The intensity of this component in Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 14 soils varies only within one order of magnitude. It varies with depth below lunar surface but is not correlated with depth. The intensity does not have any correlation with the fraction of glassy particles nor with the fraction of anorthositic particles.

Weeks, R. A.↗

Characterizing the Excited States and Electronic Absorption Spectra of Small Alkylperoxy (RO 2 •) and Hydroperoxy (•QOOH) Radicals

Organic peroxy (ROO•) and hydroperoxy (•QOOH) radicals are key reactive intermediates that are formed via the oxidation of volatile organic compounds during combustion or in the Earth’s atmosphere. Their primary fate is continued unimolecular decay or bimolecular chemistry, the relative branching for which is heavily structure- and temperature-dependent. This article outlines a combined single- and multi-reference quantum chemical study to characterize the near-UV accessible electronically excited states of the prototypical ROO• and •QOOH intermediates, tert-butyl peroxy and hydroperoxy-tert-butyl radicals—the ground-state chemistries of which have been well studied both experimentally and computationally. Additionally, we simulate the electronic absorption profiles of these ROO• and •QOOH intermediates with a variety of multi- and single-reference methods. The results show an interesting conformer dependence on the electronically excited-state character and electronic absorption maxima of •QOOH. The results show promise for electronic absorption spectroscopy to be used as a selected probe for determining •QOOH conformers. Additionally, electronic absorption may contribute to the daytime removal of long-lived •QOOH intermediates formed in the troposphere. We expect that our studies will motivate experiments on the electronic absorption spectra of experimentally achievable ROO• and •QOOH.

excited states↗

Ultrafast photochemistry and electron-diffraction spectra in n → (3s) Rydberg excited cyclobutanone resolved at the multireference perturbative level

We study the ultrafast time evolution of cyclobutanone excited to the singlet n → Rydberg state through non-adiabatic surface-hopping simulationsperformed at extended multi-state complete active space second-order perturbation (XMS-CASPT2) level of theory. These dynamics predict relaxation to the ground-state with a timescale of 822 ± 45 fs with minimal involvement of the triplets. The major relaxation path to the ground-state involves a three-state degeneracy region and leads to a variety of fragmented photoproducts. We simulate the resulting time-resolved electron-diffraction spectra, which track the relaxation of the excited state and the formation of various photoproducts in the ground state.

Chemistry↗

A satellite investigation of energy flux and inferred potential drop in auroral electron energy spectra

Because predicted relationship (epsilon directly varies with V squared) between auroral electron energy flux (epsilon) and the inferred acceleration potential drop (V) for accelerated Maxwellian distributions was favorably tested by other using sounding rocket data for the limiting case of eVE 1 (where Ec is the characteristic energy of the accelerated Maxwellian distribution) and for a single inverted-V observed by the Injun 5 satellite, data from Atmosphere D were used to extend these studies over the range .2 eV/Ec 5 and for a wide range of latitudes and local times on both the nightside and the dayside. Results show good agreement with the full accelerated Maxwellian model. An analytical approximation to the electron energy flux was derived which better describes the data over the range .2 eV/Ec approximated 3. Analyses of individual energy spectra at small and large pitch angles through well-defined inverted-V structures suggest that the altitude of the inferred potential drop maximizes near the center of the inverted-V's.

Meniett, J. D.↗

Vibronic coupling in energy transfer dynamics and two-dimensional electronic–vibrational spectra

We introduce a heterodimer model in which multiple mechanisms of vibronic coupling and their impact on energy transfer can be explicitly studied. We consider vibronic coupling that arises through either Franck-Condon activity in which each site in the heterodimer has a local electron-phonon coupling or Herzberg-Teller activity in which the transition dipole moment coupling the sites has an explicit vibrational mode-dependence. We have computed two-dimensional electronic-vibrational (2DEV) spectra for this model while varying the magnitude of these two effects and find that 2DEV spectra contain static and dynamic signatures of both types of vibronic coupling. Franck-Condon activity emerges through a change in the observed excitonic structure, while Herzberg-Teller activity is evident in the appearance of significant side-band transitions that mimic the lower-energy excitonic structure. A comparison of quantum beating patterns obtained from analysis of the simulated 2DEV spectra shows that this technique can report on the mechanism of energy transfer, elucidating a means of experimentally determining the role of specific vibronic coupling mechanisms in such processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

PLASMA ENVIRONMENT AROUND COMET 67P/CHURYUMOV–GERASIMENKO AT PERIHELION: MODEL COMPARISON WITH ROSETTA DATA

The plasma environment near comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/CG) is dynamically affected by various factors, including the incident solar wind and outgassing from the nucleus. The Rosetta spacecraft MAGnetometer (MAG) instrument observations near perihelion showed crossing events into a magnetic field-free region at about 170 km from the nucleus in 2015 July at 1.26 au from the Sun. At each crossing, the magnitude of the magnetic field dropped by more than 20 nT to near zero. We compared the Ion and Electron Sensor (IES) electron differential flux energy spectrum inside and outside the crossing boundaries. The IES observations show a modest but consistent drop in electron flux for energies between 40 eV and a few hundred eV at each cavity crossing event. This drop in the electron spectra might be due to the absence or attenuation of solar wind electrons inside the observed diamagnetic regions, which might or might not be a diamagnetic cavity. There is no apparent simple linear correlation between the electron count rate measured by the IES at different energies and the magnitude of the magnetic field, however; at all energies, the highest electron count rates are recorded at the highest magnetic field magnitudes. From model-data comparisons it seems that inside diamagnetic regions, pure coma photoelectrons are not sufficient to explain the observations and that a trapping mechanism and/or infused solar wind electrons are necessary to explain the observed electron fluxes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Association Mechanisms of Unsaturated C2 Hydrocarbons with Their Cations: Acetylene and Ethylene

The ion-molecule association mechanism of acetylene and ethylene with their cations is investigated by ab initio quantum chemical methods to understand the structures, association energies, and the vibrational and electronic spectra of the products. Stable puckered cyclic isomers are found as the result of first forming less stable linear and bridge isomers. The puckered cyclic complexes are calculated to be strongly bound, by 87, 35 and 56 kcal/mol for acetylene-acetylene cation, ethylene-ethylene cation and acetylene-ethylene cation, respectively. These stable complexes may be intermediates that participate in further association reactions. There are no association barriers, and no significant inter-conversion barriers, so the initial linear and bridge encounter complexes are unlikely to be observable. However, the energy gap between the bridged and cyclic puckered isomers greatly differs from complex to complex: it is 44 kcal/mol in C4H4 +, but only 6 kcal/mol in C4H8 +. The accurate CCSD(T) calculations summarized above are also compared against less computationally expensive MP2 and density functional theory (DFT) calculations for structures, relative energies, and vibrational spectra. Calculated vibrational spectra are compared against available experiments for cyclobutadiene cation. Electronic spectra are also calculated using time-dependent DFT.

ethylene↗

Determination of g-tensors of low-symmetry Nd{sup 3+} centers in LiNbO{sub 3} by rectification of angular dependence of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra

Two procedures for facilitation of line tracing and deciphering of complicated spectra of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) were developed: a correction of microwave frequencies for every orientation of external magnetic field on the base of known values of g-tensor components for a reference paramagnetic center and followed rectification of measured angular dependences using plots of effective deviation of g{sup 2}-factors of observed lines from effective g{sup 2}-factors of the reference center versus angles or squared cosines of angles describing magnetic field orientations. Their application to EPR spectra of nearly stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals doped with neodymium allowed identifying two axial and six different low-symmetry Nd{sup 3+} centers, to determine all components of their g-tensors, and to propose common divacancy models for a whole family of Nd{sup 3+} centers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Beta-delayed gamma spectra compilation and analysis following the thermal-neutron induced fission of 235 U, 239,241 Pu

The integral gamma and electron spectra emitted by fission products, also known as delayed gamma and electron spectra, were measured at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1970s for the thermal-neutron induced fission of 235 U and 239,241 Pu. Scintillator detectors were used to measure these spectra, data used later on to obtain decay heat values - that is, the spectra mean values per unit time as function of time - work that was published in the Nuclear Science and Technology journal; the spectral data, however, was only published in laboratory reports. Here, in this work, we analyze the gamma spectra data using modern methods and nuclear databases to reveal the signature of individual fission products as well as to gauge the performance of the ENDF/B-VIII.0 decay data sub-library, concluding about possible future enhancements in predictive capabilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Electronic excitation spectra of molecules in solution calculated using the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction method in the polarizable continuum model with perturbative approach

A perturbative approximation of the state specific polarizable continuum model (PCM) symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method is proposed for efficient calculations of the electronic excitations and absorption spectra of molecules in solutions. This first-order PCM SAC-CI method considers the solvent effects on the energies of excited states up to the first-order with using the zeroth-order wavefunctions. This method can avoid the costly iterative procedure of the self-consistent reaction field calculations. The first-order PCM SAC-CI calculations well reproduce the results obtained by the iterative method for various types of excitations of molecules in polar and nonpolar solvents. The first-order contribution is significant for the excitation energies. The results obtained by the zeroth-order PCM SAC-CI, which considers the fixed ground-state reaction field for the excited-state calculations, are deviated from the results by the iterative method about 0.1 eV, and the zeroth-order PCM SAC-CI cannot predict even the direction of solvent shifts in n-hexane for many cases. The first-order PCM SAC-CI is applied to studying the solvatochromisms of (2,2{sup ′}-bipyridine)tetracarbonyltungsten [W(CO){sub 4}(bpy), bpy = 2,2{sup ′}-bipyridine] and bis(pentacarbonyltungsten)pyrazine [(OC){sub 5}W(pyz)W(CO){sub 5}, pyz = pyrazine]. The SAC-CI calculations reveal the detailed character of the excited states and the mechanisms of solvent shifts. The energies of metal to ligand charge transfer states are significantly sensitive to solvents. The first-order PCM SAC-CI well reproduces the observed absorption spectra of the tungsten carbonyl complexes in several solvents.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Boron chelate complexes: X-ray and UV photoelectron spectra and electronic structure

Published data on the electronic structure of boron chelates are summarized for the first time. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectra of vapors, X-ray photoelectron spectra of molecular crystals, and results of modeling within the framework of the density functional theory are analyzed. Data on the effect of substituents on the electronic structure of complexes are systematized.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Measurements of runaway electron synchrotron spectra at high magnetic fields in Alcator C-Mod

In the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, runaway electron (RE) experiments have been performed during low density, flattop plasma discharges at three magnetic fields: 2.7, 5.4, and 7.8 T, the last being the highest field to-date at which REs have been generated and measured in a tokamak. Time-evolving synchrotron radiation spectra were measured in the visible wavelength range (λ ≈ 300-1000 nm) by two absolutelycalibrated spectrometers viewing co- and counter-plasma current directions. In this paper, a test particle model is implemented to predict momentum-space and density evolutions of REs on the magnetic axis and q = 1, 3/2, and 2 surfaces. Drift orbits and subsequent loss of confinement are also incorporated into the evolution. These spatiotemporal results are input into the new synthetic diagnostic SOFT [M. Hoppe, et al., Nucl. Fusion 58(2), 026032 (2018)] which reproduces experimentally-measured spectra. For these discharges, it is inferred that synchrotron radiation dominates collisional friction as a power loss mechanism and that RE energies decrease as magnetic field is increased. Additionally, the threshold electric field for RE generation, as determined by hard X-ray and photo-neutron measurements, is compared to current theoretical predictions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗