Dipole Moments of Highly Vibrationally Excited HCN: A New Approach to Ultra-sensitive Stimulated Emission Pumping

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

In this project funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Wodtke will use a new technique to study highly excited vibrational states of polyatomic molecules, with energies that bring them close to the reaction barrier. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) will be used as a prototype system and will be studied by the combined techniques of stimulated emission pumping and electric hexapole focusing to obtain energy and dipole moment information in individual highly excited rotation-vibrational states. Such information will serve to better map out the wavefunctions for highly excited states especially for isomerizing transitions. This project addresses a major problem in contemporary physical chemistry, namely the characterization of molecules in excited states, high enough to affect reactions and isomerization transitions. Two separate techniques are combined in a novel way to obtain such information. Experiments on the prototype hydrogen cyanide molecule will be extended to other systems. The research will provide excellent training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in modern research techniques.