Multireference Configuration Interaction Calculations Research Articles

Tracking ultrafast non-adiabatic dissociation dynamics of the deuterated water dication molecule.

We applied reaction microscopy to elucidate fast non-adiabatic dissociation dynamics of deuterated water molecules after direct photo-double ionization at 61eV with synchrotron radiation. For the very rare D+ + O+ + D breakup channel, the particle momenta, angular, and energy distributions of electrons and ions, measured in coincidence, reveal distinct electronic dication states and their dissociation pathways via spin-orbit coupling and charge transfer at crossings and seams on the potential energy surfaces. Notably, we could distinguish between direct and fast sequential dissociation scenarios. For the latter case, our measurements reveal the geometry and orientation of the deuterated water molecule with respect to the polarization vector that leads to this rare 3-body molecular breakup channel. Aided by multi-reference configuration-interaction calculations, the dissociation dynamics could be traced on the relevant potential energy surfaces and particularly their crossings and seams. This approach also unraveled the ultrafast time scales governing these processes.

Modeling of collision-induced excitation and quenching of atomic nitrogen

Excited atomic nitrogen atoms play an important role in plasma formation in hypersonic shock-waves, as happens during spacecraft reentry and other high velocity vehicle applications. In this study, we have thoroughly studied collision induced excitation associated with two colliding nitrogen atoms in the N(4S), N(2D), and N(2P) states at collision energies up to 6 eV, using time-independent scattering calculations to determine cross sections and temperature-dependent rate coefficients. The calculations are based on potential curves and couplings determined in earlier multireference configuration interaction calculations with large basis sets, and the results are in good agreement with experiments where comparisons are possible. To properly consider the spin–orbit coupling matrix, we have developed a scaling method for treating transitions between different fine-structure components that only require calculations with two coupled states, and with this, we define accurate degeneracy factors for determining cross sections and rate coefficients that include all states. The results indicate that both spin–orbit and derivative coupling effects can play important roles in collisional excitation and quenching, and that although derivative coupling is always much stronger than spin–orbit, there are many transitions where only spin–orbit can contribute. As part of this, we identify two distinct pathways associated with N(2P) relaxation and one Auger-like mechanism leading to two N(2D) that could be important at high temperatures.

Electronic structure, oscillator strength, and rovibrationally resolved photodissociation of 24MgH

Aims. A series of high-precision calculations for the electronic structure of MgH have been reported in the past two decades; however, most of them d not include the core-valence correlation and still exhibit distinct differences. Furthermore, the latest high-precision results have not been applied to the studies of photodissociation dynamics. The primary motivations of this paper are to calculate a more precise electronic structure of MgH consering a core-valence correlation and to prove the photodissociation cross-sections. Methods. The electronic structure of MgH is investigated by multi-reference configuration interaction calculations with Davson correction (MRCI+Q). We performed two different sets of calculations to investigate the core-valence correlation and, as a result, obtained accurate potential energy curves (PECs) and transition dipole moments (TDMs). An extrapolation procedure was also employed to eliminate the error of basis set. Then, the photodissociation cross-sections were calculated using high-precision PECs and TDMs. Results. The PECs and TDMs of the five lowest doublet electronic states, X2Σ+, B′2Σ+, E2Σ+, A2Π, and C2Π, are obtained from calculations including core-valence correlation, termed as CV-MRCI, while PECs of the ten lowest doublet states and three quartet states are also obtained from NCV-MRCI calculations without core-valence correlation. The spectroscopic constants and band oscillator strengths are also proved with high precision levels. The equilibrium Re and vertical excitation energy Te are only 0.1% different from the measurements. Based on the CV-MRCI results, the rovibrationally resolved photodissociation cross-sections for transitions from X2Σ+ to the other four states, as well as the total local thermodynamic equilibrium cross-sections for temperatures up to 10000 K, are calculated.

Transition probabilities and radiative lifetimes of C[formula omitted]: A high level theoretical investigation

Dicarbon species are of particular interest within the physical chemistry community. However, contrary to neutral C2, the theory of electronic structure and spectra concerning C2− ions is not well-established. To address this gap in information, high-level multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations have been performed, and new potential energy curves for fourteen low-lying states of C2− are reported. The best estimate for the ground dissociation energy is 64,720 cm−1 at the MRCI+Q/AV5Z level of theory. The first excited state, A2Πu, lies at 3,836 cm−1 (Re = 2.4829 a0 and ωe = 1649 cm−1). The infrared A2Πu − X2Σg+ transition has Einstein coefficients of the order of 103–104 s−1. The lifetime of the A2Πu state is given in microseconds. For the B2Σu+ state, it was calculated τ0≈ 78 ns in good accord with the experimental value of 77 ± 8 ns. The a4Σu+ state is placed at an excitation energy of 32,369 cm−1, much higher than expected by experimentalists (19,448 cm−1). The spin-forbidden transitions a4Σu+ − X2Σg+ are strong enough to be detected experimentally (A04≈ 3 × 106 s−1). The 14Πg − a4Σu+ transitions are more concentrated in the IR region. The radiative lifetime of 14Πg is computed to be 12μs. There is no doubt that the current data considerably enhance our understanding of the spectroscopy of C2−.

Multiexcitonic and optically bright states in subunits of pentacene crystals: A hybrid DFT/MRCI and molecular mechanics study.

A hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics setup was used to model electronically excited pentacene in the crystal phase. Particularly interesting in the context of singlet fission (SF) is the energetic location of the antiferromagnetically coupled multiexcitonic singlet state, 1(TT), and the ferromagnetically coupled analog in relation to the optically bright singlet state. To provide photophysical properties of the accessible spin manifold, combined density functional theory and multi-reference configuration interaction calculations were performed on pentacene dimers and a trimer, electrostatically embedded in the crystal. The likelihood of a quintet intermediate in the SF process was estimated by computing singlet-quintet electron spin-spin couplings employing the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. The performance of the applied methods was assessed on the pentacene monomer. The character of the optically bright state and the energetic location of the 1(TT) state depend strongly on the relative orientation of the pentacene units. In the V-shaped dimers and in the trimer, the optically bright state is dominated by local and charge transfer (CT) excitations, with admixtures of doubly excited configurations. The CT excitations gain weight upon geometry relaxation, thus supporting a CT-mediated SF mechanism as the primary step of the SF process. For the slip-stacked dimer, the energetic order of the bright and the 1(TT) states swaps upon geometry relaxation, indicating strong nonadiabatic coupling close to the Franck-Condon region-a prerequisite for a coherent SF process. The multiexcitonic singlet, triplet, and quintet states are energetically too far apart and their spin-spin couplings are too small to bring about a noteworthy multiplicity mixing.

Electronic structure of ground and low-lying excited states of BaLi+ molecular ion: spin-orbit effect, radiative lifetimes and Franck-Condon factor

The study of BaLi+ and its reactivity plays a crucial role in advancing our understanding of chemical bonding or reaction mechanisms. The aim of this work is to represent a complete and extended theoretical study of BaLi+ molecular ion including ground and highly excited electronic states of 1,3Σ, 1,3Π and 1,3Δ symmetries, dissociated to the first seven dissociation limits. The corresponding potential energy curves (PECs), permanent and transition dipole moments have been investigated. These calculations were performed using the multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) method in combination with optimized basis sets and non-empirical pseudopotentials (ECP) for both Ba and Li atoms. Afterwards, the spin–orbit (SO) operator is incorporated in valence MRCI calculation using optimized relativistic spin–orbit pseudopotentials and 16 Ω states are generated and splitted into Λ-S states. The SO effect gives rise to a more complicated structure of electronic states presented in PEC and permanent and transition dipole moments. Nonadiabatic coupling matrix elements between the five lowest 1Σ+ states are also presented for the nonrelativistic results. Based on the vibrational radiative lifetime and Franck–Condon calculation, the possibilities of laser cooling of this system have been also discussed.

The CuTe Molecule: Theoretical investigation of the electronic structure and dipole moments of the ground and lowest excited states with rovibrational calculations

The multireference configuration interaction calculation MRSDCI (with Davidson correction) has been performed to investigate the potential energy curves, the transition electronic energies Te, the spectroscopic constants (Re, ωe and Be), the transition and permanent dipole moments, and the vibrational levels corresponding to the ground and 18 excited electronic states of the molecule CuTe in the representation 2S+1Λ(+/-) (neglecting the spin–orbit effects), whereas the PECs and the spectroscopic constants have been calculated for 27 states in the representation Ω(+/-) [including the spin–orbit (SO) effects]. The ground state equilibrium bond length and the vibrational frequency have also been investigated using the density functional theory (DFT), where different density functionals with different basis sets have been tested. This study represents the first theoretical study of the excited states of the CuTe molecule. Comparison of the present results with the available experimental ones shows an overall satisfying agreement.

Spectroscopy and molecule opacity investigation on excited states of SiS

The SiS molecule, which plays a significant role in space, has attracted a great deal of attention for many years. Due to complex interactions among its low-lying electronic states, precise information regarding the molecular structure of SiS is limited. To obtain accurate information about the structure of its excited states, the high-precision multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) method has been utilized. This method is used to calculate the potential energy curves (PECs) of the 18 Λ–S states corresponding to the lowest dissociation limit of SiS. The core–valence correlation effect, Davidson’s correction and the scalar relativistic effect are also included to guarantee the precision of the MRCI calculation. Based on the calculated PECs, the spectroscopic constants of quasi-bound and bound electronic states are calculated and they are in accordance with previous experimental results. The transition dipole moments (TDMs) and dipole moments (DMs) are determined by the MRCI method. In addition, the abrupt variations of the DMs for the 15Σ+ and 25Σ+ states at the avoided crossing point are attributed to the variation of the electronic configuration. The opacity of SiS at a pressure of 100 atms is presented across a series of temperatures. With increasing temperature, the expanding population of excited states blurs the band boundaries.

Rydberg electron stabilizes the charge localized state of the diamine cation

A previous controversial discussion regarding the interpretation of Rydberg spectra of gaseous dimethylpiperazine (DMP) as showing the co-existence of a localized and delocalized mixed-valent DMP+ radical cation is revisited. Here we show by high-level quantum-chemical calculations that an apparent barrier separating localized and delocalized DMP+ minima in previous multi-reference configuration-interaction (MRCI) calculations and in some other previous computations were due to unphysical curve crossings of the reference wave functions. These discontinuities on the surface are removed in state-averaged MRCI calculations and with some other, orthogonal high-level approaches, which do not provide a barrier and thus no localized minimum. We then proceed to show that in the actually observed Rydberg state of neutral DMP the 3s-type Rydberg electron binds more strongly to a localized positive charge distribution, generating a localized DMP* Rydberg-state minimum, which is absent for the DMP+ cation. This work presents a case where interactions of a Rydberg electron with the underlying cationic core alter molecular structure in a fundamental way.

High-accuracy DMBE potential energy surface for CNO(A''4) and the rate coefficients for the C + NO reaction in the A'2, A''2, and A''4 states.

An accurate potential energy surface (PES) for the lowest lying A''4 state of the CNO system is presented based on explicitly correlated multi-reference configuration interaction calculations with quadruple zeta basis set (MRCI-F12/cc-pVQZ-F12). The abinitio energies are fitted using the double many-body expansion method, thus incorporating long-range energy terms that can accurately describe the electrostatic and dispersion interactions with physically motivated decaying functions. Together with the previously fitted lowest A'2 and A''2 states using the same theoretical framework, this constitutes a new set of PESs that are suitable to predict rate coefficients for all atom-diatom reactions of the CNO system. We use this set of PESs to calculate thermal rate coefficients for the C(P3) + NO(Π2) reaction and compare the temperature dependence and product branching ratios with experimental results. The comparison between theory and experiment is shown to be improved over previous theoretical studies. We highlight the importance of the long-range interactions for low-temperature rate coefficients.

Benchmarking Time-dependent Density Functional Theory for the prediction of electronic absorption spectra of amorphous ices for astrochemical applications

ABSTRACT Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) offers a tractable means to predict electronic excitation spectra of ices if sufficient care is taken in selecting the DFT functional, basis sets, and the number of excited states. In this work 48 functionals in conjunction with various correlation consistent basis sets were benchmarked for predicting electronic spectra. A training set of important astromolecules was chosen: carbon monoxide, water, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, methanol, and the hydroxyl radical. Vertical excitation energies between the ground and first excited state and some higher excited states were calculated using multireference configuration interaction calculations to serve as benchmarks for gas phase TDDFT calculations. When used in conjunction with aug-cc-pVDZ quality correlation consistent basis sets, two functionals, MPW1K and ωB97, emerged as very good choices to model electronic excitations for most of the molecules in the training set. Cluster calculation predictions for the UV spectra of amorphous ices of water and ammonia were performed at the TDDFT-MPW1K/AVDZ and TDDFT-ωB97/AVDZ levels and then compared against experimental data. The calculations qualitatively reproduce the shapes of the spectra for the most part and quantitatively predict the position of the critical first absorption peak.

Brand new aspects of the a[formula omitted][formula omitted] X[formula omitted] transition probabilities in N[formula omitted

Spin-forbidden transitions have demonstrated to be of great importance in the spectroscopic studies. This work presents a new look at the spin-forbidden a4Σu+→X2Σg+ transitions in the N2+ molecular ion. Theoretical calculations have been carried out on the basis of multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations in combination with the AV6Z basis set. As results, we calculate Einstein A coefficients of the order of 104–105 s−1 and radiative lifetimes of μs for the a4Σu+ state. This study reveals that such transitions, initially forbidden, have a high probability of occurrence and therefore show evidence of being measurable through optical spectroscopy experiments. For the first time, the theoretical spectra of the a4Σu+→X2Σg+ emissions were simulated with aid of PGOPHER software. The present results are promising and could be used as a benchmark to other isoelectronic species.

Measurement and calculation of CO (7-0) overtone line intensities.

Intensities of 14 lines in the sixth overtone (7-0) band of carbon monoxide (12C16O) are measured in the visible range between 14300 and 14500 cm-1 using a frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectrometer. This is the first observation of such a high and weak overtone spectrum of the CO molecule. A theoretical model is constructed and tested based on the use of a high accuracy abinitio dipole moment curve and a semi-empirical potential energy curve. Accurate studies of high overtone transitions provide a challenge to both experiment and theory as the lines are very weak: below 2 × 10-29cmmolecule-1 at 296K. Agreement between theory and experiment within the experimental uncertainty of a few percent is obtained. However, this agreement is only achieved after issues with the stability of the Davidson correction to the multi-reference configuration interaction calculations are addressed.

Riemannian Trust Region Method for Minimization of the Fourth Central Moment for Localized Molecular Orbitals.

The importance of localized molecular orbitals (MOs) in correlation treatments beyond mean-field calculation and in the illustration of chemical bonding (and antibonding) can hardly be overstated. However, the generation of orthonormal localized occupied MOs is significantly more straightforward than obtaining orthonormal localized virtual MOs. Orthonormal MOs allow facile use of highly efficient group theoretical methods (e.g., graphical unitary group approach) for calculation of Hamiltonian matrix elements in multireference configuration interaction calculations (such as MRCISD) and in quasi-degenerate perturbation treatments, such as the Generalized Van Vleck Perturbation Theory. Moreover, localized MOs can elucidate qualitative understanding of bonding in molecules, in addition to high-accuracy quantitative descriptions. We adopt the powers of the fourth moment cost function introduced by Jørgensen and coworkers. Because the fourth moment cost functions are prone to having multiple negative Hessian eigenvalues when starting from easily available canonical (or near-canonical) MOs, standard optimization algorithms can fail to obtain the orbitals of the virtual or partially occupied spaces. To overcome this drawback, we applied a trust region algorithm on an orthonormal Riemannian manifold with an approximate retraction from the tangent space built into the first and second derivatives of the cost function. Moreover, the Riemannian trust region outer iterations were coupled to truncated Conjugate Gradient inner loops, which avoided any costly solutions of simultaneous linear equations or eigenvector/eigenvalue solutions. Numerical examples are provided on model systems, including the high-connectivity H10 set in 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional arrangements, and on a chemically realistic description of cyclobutadiene (c-C4H4) and the propargyl radical (C3H3). In addition to demonstrating the algorithm on occupied and virtual blocks of orbitals, the method is also shown to work on the active space at the MCSCF level of theory.

Prediction of new spin-forbidden transitions in the N2 molecule-the electric dipole A'5Σg + → A3Σu + and magnetic dipole a'1Σu -← A3Σu + transitions.

On the ground of multi-reference configuration interaction calculations with an account of spin-orbit coupling, we have predicted the probability of two unknown spin-forbidden transitions in the spectrum of the N2molecule: the electric dipole A'5Σg + → A3Σu + emission system and the magnetic dipole a'1Σu - ← A3Σu + transition. The radiative lifetime of the lowest A'5Σg + sublevel is less than a microsecond; the magnetic transition induced by the spin current in the triplet state is predicted with relatively low oscillator strength (f = 10-10), which still could be detectable.

Atomic autoionization in the photo-dissociation of super-excited deuterated water molecules fragmenting into D+ + O+ + D.

We present the relaxation dynamics of deuterated water molecules via autoionization, initiated by the absorption of a 61 eV photon, producing the very rare D+ + O+ + D breakup channel. We employ the COLd target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy method to measure the 3D momenta of the ionic fragments and emitted electrons from the dissociating molecule in coincidence. We interpret the results using the potential energy surfaces extracted from multi-reference configuration interaction calculations. The measured particle energy distributions can be related to a super-excited monocationic state located above the double ionization threshold of D2O. The autoionized electron energy shows a sharp distribution centered around 0.5 eV, which is a signature of the atomic oxygen autoionization occurring in the direct and sequential dissociation processes of D2O+* at a large internuclear distance. In this way, an O+ radical fragment and a low-energy electron are created, both of which can trigger secondary reactions in their environment.

Destruction of phosphorus nitride through the N(4S) + PN(1Σ+) → N2(1Σ+) + P(4S) reaction

ABSTRACT The study of reactions involving phosphorus bearing species (PBS) in star-forming regions as well as in circumstellar envelopes are important to elucidate the mechanisms in which this element is formed and destroyed, and perhaps, lead to important pre-biotic molecules. Phosphorus nitride (PN) is the most easily detected PBS in the interstellar medium (ISM), and is considered as one of the major reservoirs of this element in the ISM. However, only a few of its reactions have been analysed experimentally or computationally. Therefore, modelling PN chemistry and interpretation of the observations suffer uncertainties, affecting our astrochemical understanding of this species. In this work, we perform explicitly correlated multireference configuration interaction (MRCI+Q/AVTZ+d//CAS/AVTZ+d) calculations on the destruction of PN through the N(4S) + PN(1Σ+) reaction. We have also performed DFT (M06-2X) and CCSD(T) calculations for benchmark purposes. Rate coefficients over a large range of temperatures were computed using standard transition state theory (TST), canonical variational TST (CVT), and also incorporating tunneling effects with the small curvature tunneling method (SCT). We found that the NPN system possesses a considerable multireference character, and the DFT approach cannot properly describe the available destruction mechanisms. Our best estimate for the rate coefficients, at the MRCI+Q/AVTZ+d level, can be described by the modified Arrhenius equation 1.09×10−11(T/300)−1.02exp (− 7919/T). We show for the first time that this reaction may be considerably fast in shock regions and in high temperature environments of solar-type star forming regions, and of significant importance to model the abundance of PN in such environments.

Comprehensive Study of HCN: Potential Energy Surfaces, State-to-State Kinetics, and Master Equation Analysis.

Understanding the kinetics of the HCN system is critical to several disciplines in science and engineering, including interstellar chemistry, atmospheric reentry, and combustion, to name a few. This paper constructs a rovibrational state-specific kinetic mechanism for the HCN system, leveraging electronic structure calculations, classical scattering dynamics, and state-to-state kinetics. To this aim, three accurate potential energy surfaces (PESs), 1A', 3A', and 3A″, are constructed using multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations for a comprehensive arrangement of the nuclei. Quasi-classical scattering calculations provide elementary reaction rate constants resulting from the interaction between the CN, CH, and NH molecules with H, N, and C atoms, respectively. The rovibrational collisional model developed comprises 50 million bound-bound and free-bound collisional processes. This model is used to study the dynamics of energy transfer and dissociation in an isochoric and isothermal chemical reactor via the solution of the master equation for a wide temperature range from 1000 to 10,000 K. This study unravels the dynamics of dissociation of the molecules in the HCN system, which the PESs primarily control via the formation of short-lived intermediates that shortcut the dissociation pathway. The exchange processes in CH and NH enhance the dissociation by over 80%. The importance of exchange processes is also highlighted in comparing the quasi-steady state and thermal dissociation rates with state-of-the-art rate models and experimental fits.

A comprehensive study of the radiative properties of NO—a first step toward a complete air opacity

In this paper we propose a methodology to calculate the radiative properties of the diatomic molecular constituents of air, and utilize the present approach to model the radiative properties of nitrogen monoxide, NO. We also investigate the important physics involved in calculating accurate radiative quantities for air, such as the Planck and Rosseland mean opacities, and emission and absorption coefficients, as well as the couplings accounted for in rovibrational calculations. Complete active space self-consistent field multi-reference configuration interaction (CAS-MRCI) calculations were performed in order to model the NO X 2Π, a 4Π, b 4Σ−, 12Σ+, 22Σ+, 32Σ+, G 2Σ−, B′2Δ, (C, B) 22Π, (H′, L) 32Π, and 12Φ adiabatic states, and calculate the respective molecular data. The γ X 2Π − A 2Σ+, ɛ X 2Π − D 2Σ+, β′ X 2Π − B′2Δ, ‘11 000 Å’ A 2Σ+ − D 2Σ+, ‘infrared’ X 2Π − X 2Π and X 2Π − (C, B) 22Π (δ and β) band systems are investigated in monochromatic spectra calculations, as well as the Ogawa a 4Π − b 4Σ− band and several other band systems. Several conclusions are drawn, such as the importance of including the Ogawa band, which has not been included in previous air radiative models or comprehensive line-list calculations, as well as the importance of performing coupled rovibrational line-list calculations in order to accurately calculate the Rosseland means. We also found that the additional band systems modeled here contribute significantly to the total Planck and Rosseland means.

Reassessing the potential of TlCl for laser cooling experiments via four-component correlated electronic structure calculations.

Following the interest in the experimental realization of laser cooling for thallium fluoride (TlF), determining the potential of thallium chloride (TlCl) as a candidate for laser cooling experiments has recently received attention from a theoretical perspective [Yuan et al., J. Chem. Phys. 149, 094306 (2018)]. From these ab initio electronic structure calculations, it appeared that the cooling process, which would proceed from transitions between a3Π0 + and X1Σ0 + states, had as a potential bottleneck the long lifetime (6.04 µs) of the excited state a3Π0 +, that would make it very difficult to experimentally control the slowing zone. In this work, we revisit the electronic structure of TlCl by employing four-component Multireference Configuration Interaction (MRCI) and Polarization Propagator (PP) calculations and investigate the effect of such approaches on the computed transition dipole moments between a3Π0 + and a3Π1 excited states of TlCl and TlF (the latter serving as a benchmark between theory and experiment). Whenever possible, MRCI and PP results have been cross-validated by four-component equation of motion coupled-cluster calculations. We find from these different correlated approaches that a coherent picture emerges in which the results of TlF are extremely close to the experimental values, whereas for TlCl the four-component calculations now predict a significantly shorter lifetime (between 109 and 175ns) for the a3Π0 + than prior estimates. As a consequence, TlCl would exhibit rather different, more favorable cooling dynamics. By numerically calculating the rate equation, we provide evidence that TlCl may have similar cooling capabilities to TlF. Our analysis also indicates the potential advantages of boosting stimulated radiation in optical cycles to improve cooling efficiency.