Vibrational predissociation of highly vibrationally excited van der Waals molecules. A quantum-mechanical distorted-wave treatment for vibration and sudden approximation for rotation

Abstract

In this paper a three-dimensional quantum model to study vibrational predissociation of van der Waals molecules is applied to the I 2He complex for very high vibrational (50 ≤ υ 1 ≤ 64) of the I 2 subunit. The vibrations are described in the distorted-wave diabatic approximation while rotations are treated in the sudden approximation. The rates for vibrational predissociation as a function of the initial diatomic (I 2) vibrational excitation show a maximum at ν 1 ≈ 57, which is found to be in good agreement with recent experimental data.