The HCO⁺-H2 van der Waals interaction: potential energy and scattering.

We compute the rigid-body, four-dimensional interaction potential between HCO(+) and H2. The ab initio energies are obtained at the coupled-cluster single double triple level of theory, corrected for Basis Set Superposition Errors. The ab initio points are fit onto the spherical basis relevant for quantum scattering. We present elastic and rotationally inelastic coupled channels scattering between low lying rotational levels of HCO(+) and para-/ortho-H2. Results are compared with similar earlier computations with He or isotropic para-H2 as the projectile. Computations agree with earlier pressure broadening measurements.

Ab initio characterization of C(6).

Structural and spectroscopy parameters of C(6) are determined with ab initio calculations confirming the existence of nine isomers. Those geometries with high stability (the linear, where the electronic ground state is a triplet (X(3)Sigma(g)(-)), and the slightly distorted cyclic singlet (X(1)A(1)')) are determined with CASPT2/CASSCF. The effect of the correlation energy on the isomer stability is discussed. The local potential energy surfaces of the first electronic states of linear-C(6) are determined with CASPT2/CASSCF calculations and the ANO-L C[4s3p2d1f] basis set. We provide minimum energy geometries and excitation energies for 19 electronic states. A new assignment of the electronic spectrum transitions involving high-energy symmetry states is proposed. Electron affinity and ionization potential have been computed to be EA = 3.97 eV and IP = 9.73 eV.

Ab initio characterization of C5.

In this paper, the structure and spectroscopic parameters of the C5 cluster are determined using multiconfigurational quantum chemical methods as implemented in the MOLCAS software. A number of spectroscopic properties (band center positions, l-doubling parameters, and rotational constants) have been characterized. From the new results, the assignments of previous astrophysical observations [J. Goicoechea et al., Astrophys. J. 609, 225 (2004)] are discussed. A detailed exploration of the global potential energy surface confirms that C5 has a X1Sigmag+ linear isomer of prominent stability and, at least, three minimum energy structures showing singlet electronic ground states. Two of them are cyclic and one has a nonplanar geometry. Vertical and adiabatic electronic transitions and vibrational spectroscopic parameters are determined for the most stable linear isomer using multiconfigurational second order perturbation theory (CASPT2) using an active space containing 12 valence orbitals with 12 active electrons and extended ANO-type basis sets. The infrared spectrum has been analyzed from an anharmonic force field derived form the local surface, determined from the energies of a grid of 1350 geometries. The force field includes four coupling terms. The CASPT2 band center position of the nu7(piu) anharmonic fundamental has been calculated to be at 102 cm(-1), which validates the assignment to C5 of the pattern of bands centered at 102 cm(-1) observed with the ISO telescope.

Electronic structure calculations on the C4 cluster.

The ground and the electronically excited states of the C4 radical are studied using interaction configuration methods and large basis sets. Apart from the known isomers [l-C4(X(3)Sigmag (-)) and r-C4(X(1)Ag)], it is found that the ground singlet surface has two other stationary points: s-C4(X(1)Ag) and d-C4(X(1)A1). The d-C4 form is the third isomer of this cluster. The isomerization pathways from one form to the other show that deep potential wells are separating each minimum. Multireference configuration interaction studies of the electronic excited states reveal a high density of electronic states of these species in the 0-2 eV energy ranges. The high rovibrational levels of l-C4((3)Sigmau (-)) undergo predissociation processes via spin-orbit interactions with the neighboring (5)Sigmag + state.

3Sigma- -X 3Sigma- electronic transition of linear C6H+ and C8H+ in neon matrixes.

The electronic absorption spectra of linear C6H+ and C8H+ were recorded in 6 K neon matrixes following mass selective deposition. The (1) 3Sigma- -X 3Sigma- electronic transition is identified with the origin band at 515.8 and 628.4 nm for l-C6H+ and l-C8H+, respectively. One strong (near 267 nm) and several weaker electronic transitions of l-C8H+ have also been observed in the UV. The results of ab initio calculations carried out for linear and cyclic C6H+ are consistent with the assignment.