Relaxation paths for single modes of vibrations in isolated molecules

Abstract

A numerical simulation of vibrational excitation of molecules was devised and used to excite computational models of common molecules into a prescribed, pure, normal vibration mode in the ground electronic state, with varying, controllable energy content. The redistribution of this energy (either non-chaotic or irreversible IVR) within the isolated, free molecule is then followed in time with a view to determining the coupling strength between modes. This work was triggered by the need to predict the general characters of the infrared spectra to be expected from molecules in interstellar space, after being excited by photon absorption or reaction with a radical. It is found that IVR from a pure normal mode is very ‘restricted’ indeed at energy contents of one mode quantum or so. However, as this is increased, or when the excitation is localized, our approach allows us to isolate, describe and quantify a number of interesting phenomena, known to chemists and in nonlinear mechanics, but difficult to demonstrate experimentally: frequency dragging, mode locking or quenching or, still, instability near a potential surface crossing, the first step to generalized chaos as the energy content per mode is increased.