Semiclassical wave packets in the angle representation and their role in molecular dynamics

Abstract

Molecular wave packets generated by Gaussian optical pulses are discussed in the present paper. The systems treated either have pulses which are narrow relative to the width of the spectral absorption band or have molecules whose absorption band can be approximated by a Gaussian. One convenient approximate description is given, it is shown, by a semiclassical angle variable representation, which we used earlier in the treatment of inelastic molecular collisions. The results offer a relatively simple description of the motion of the packet, including its periods of oscillation, the time spent in various regions, and its extension in space at various times. The results are applied elsewhere to experimental data and to quantum mechanical calculations. The wave packet description is multidimensional.