A wave packet propagation study of inelastic and reactive F+D2 scattering

Abstract

We compute the rotationally resolved differential cross sections for F(2P3/2)+D2(v=0,j) inelastic scattering as well as opacity functions for D2 rotational excitation and the reaction F+D2→D+DF. Two values of the collision energy (89.7 and 187 meV) and two initial D2 rotational states (j=0 and j=1) are probed. Four calculation techniques have been compared: the quasiclassical trajectory approach and the Wigner method on the ground state (12A′) surface, wave packet propagation (with the D2 vibrational degree of freedom treated quantum mechanically) on the 12A′ surface, and wave packet propagation on the two coupled surfaces 12A′ and 22A′. The effect of the nonadiabatic spin–orbit coupling on the nonreactive F+D2 scattering is almost negligible, whereas the reaction cross sections in the two-surface wave packet propagation treatment are considerably smaller than those in the calculations taking into account the ground state surface only.