Molecular dynamics in intense fields. III. Nonadiabatic effects

Abstract

It is shown that coupled equations for multiphoton processes can be written with either momentum transition moments or dipole transition moments. In perturbation (low field intensity) theories, nonadiabatic corrections are necessary to make the adiabatic momentum electronic transition probabilities nonzero and equivalent to electronic dipole transition probabilities in infrared transitions. For strong fields, nonadiabatic interactions can become important due to multiphoton resonances, and both approaches necessitate full coupled equations. In the case of electronic excitations, adiabatic, nuclear dipole transition probabilities become nonzero and equivalent to nuclear momentum transitions probabilities only after nonadiabatic corrections are included. These corrections should become important at strong fields for electronic states coupled nonadiabatically. It is shown further using a representation which introduces field modified electronic functions and electronic potentials that unusual field effects will occur at photon frequencies in resonance with adiabatic electronic potential energy separations at pseudo (avoided) crossings. Thus, in such cases, electronic energy gaps are increased by the field and nonadiabatic couplings at these avoided crossings are reduced by the field. Strong resonant fields should therefore quench nonadiabatic couplings at avoided crossings, rendering nonadiabatic reactions more adiabatic.