Far-infrared laser spectroscopy of van der Waals bonds: a powerful new probe of intermolecular forces

Abstract

Our objective in these studies is to provide a detailed characterization of the structures and internal dynamics of weakly bound complexes as the requisite first step toward the ultimate goal: obtaining details three-dimensional intermolecular potential-energy surfaces for molecular weak interactions. The current state of the art limits us to studies of binary systems, but several groups are currently seeking to extend both the theory and experiments to address ternary and quaternary complexes. This will afford a detailed examination of the many-body effects (e.g., Axelrod -Teller triple dipole dispersion interaction), which becomes of potential importance in models of the chemistry of liquids.