Quantum-mechanical theory for electronic-vibrational-rotational energy transfer in atom–diatom collisions: Analysis of the Hamiltonian

Abstract

We investigate forms of the molecular system Hamiltonian valid for rigorous quantum-mechanical treatments of inelastic atom–diatom collisions characterized by exchange of energy between electronic, vibrational, and rotational degrees of freedom. We analyze this Hamiltonian in terms of various choices of independent coordinates which unambiguously specify the electronic and nuclear positions in the context of space-fixed and body-fixed reference frames. In particular we derive forms of the Hamiltonian in the context of the following four sets of independent coordinates: (1) a so-called space-fixed set, in which both electronic and nuclear positions are relative to the space-fixed frame; (2) a so-called mixed set, in which nuclear positions are relative to the body-fixed frame while electronic positions are relative to the space-fixed frame; (3) a so-called body-fixed set, in which both electronic and nuclear positions are relative to the body-fixed frame; and (4) another mixed set, in which nuclear positions are relative to the space-fixed frame while electronic positions are relative to the body-fixed frame. Based on practical considerations in accounting for electronic structure and nonadiabatic coupling of electronic states of the collision complex we find the forms of the Hamiltonian in the context of coordinate sets (3) and (4) above to be most appropriate, respectively, for body-fixed and space-fixed treatments of nuclear dynamics in collisional transfer of electronic, vibrational, and rotational energies.