The direct photodissociation of ClNO(S1): An exact three-dimensional wave packet analysis

Abstract

We present the results of a three-dimensional wave packet study on the photodissociation of ClNO through excitation of the first singlet state S1. The calculations employ an ab initio potential energy surface depending on the Cl–N and N–O bond coordinates and the ClNO bending angle. By expanding the wave packet in terms of the eigenfunctions of the NO rotor, the time-dependent Schrödinger equation is transformed into a coupled set of 60 two-dimensional partial differential equations which are solved by discretization on a grid. The wave packet yields the absorption spectrum and all partial dissociation cross sections for producing the NO fragment in a particular vibrational–rotational state (nj). The photodissociation of ClNO via the S1 state is a relatively fast process and the necessary propagation time is on the order of 50 fs. The calculated data agree well with recent experimental results. For the first time, we can directly compare the wavelength dependence of partial photodissociation cross sections for a single vibrational–rotational fragment state state with experiment. Our results suggest that the photodissociation of ClNO(S1) proceeds mainly adiabatically for the vibrational degree of freedom.