Angular Distribution of Products from Photodissociation of Diatomic Molecules

Abstract

The angular distribution of dissociation products in the photodissociation of diatomic molecules has been calculated quantum-mechanically. It is shown that in the adiabatic approximation the angular distribution of the electronic transition with the transition moment along the molecular axis can be expressed as σ(θ0) = (σ0/4π) [1 + βP2 (cos θ0)], and the angular distribution for the case of perpendicular transitions is very complicated and can be approximately expressed in the same form as that for the case of parallel transitions only in the limiting conditions. Approximate calculations of the angular distribution of photodissociation are also carried out by using the delta function approximation to the continuum radial wave functions, and it is found that in this approximation β = 2 for the parallel transition; that is, the angular distribution of dissociation products is of the form cos2 θ0.