A single resonance Regge pole dominates the forward-angle scattering of the state-to-state F + H2 → FH + H reaction at Etrans = 62.09 meV.

The aim of the present paper is to bring clarity, through simplicity, to the important and long-standing problem: does a resonance contribute to the forward-angle scattering of the F + H2 reaction? We reduce the problem to its essentials and present a well-defined, yet rigorous and unambiguous, investigation of structure in the differential cross sections (DCSs) of the following three state-to-state reactions at a translational energy of 62.09 meV: F + H2(vi = 0, ji = 0, mi = 0) → FH(vf = 3, jf = 0, 1, 2, mf = 0) + H, where vi, ji, mi and vf, jf, mf are the initial and final vibrational, rotational and helicity quantum numbers respectively. Firstly, we carry out quantum-scattering calculations for the Fu-Xu-Zhang potential energy surface, obtaining accurate numerical scattering matrix elements for indistinguishable H2. The calculations use a time-independent method, with hyperspherical coordinates and an enhanced Numerov method. Secondly, the following theoretical techniques are employed to analyse structures in the DCSs: (a) full and Nearside-Farside (NF) partial wave series (PWS) and local angular momentum theory, including resummations of the full PWS up to second order. (b) The recently introduced "CoroGlo" test, which lets us distinguish between glory and corona scattering at forward angles for a Legendre PWS. (c) Six asymptotic (semiclassical) forward-angle glory theories and three asymptotic farside rainbow theories, valid for rainbows at sideward-scattering angles. (d) Complex angular momentum (CAM) theories of forward and backward scattering, with the Regge pole positions and residues computed by Thiele rational interpolation. Thirdly, our conclusions for the three PWS DCSs are: (a) the forward-angle peaks arise from glory scattering. (b) A broad (hidden) farside rainbow is present at sideward angles. (c) A single Regge pole contributes to the DCS across the whole angular range, being most prominent at forward angles. This proves that a resonance contributes to the DCSs for the three transitions. (d) The diffraction oscillations in the DCSs arise from NF interference, in particular, interference between the Regge pole and direct subamplitudes.

Nearside-Farside Analysis of the Angular Scattering for the State-to-State H + HD → H2 + D Reaction: Nonzero Helicities.

We theoretically analyze the differential cross sections (DCSs) for the state-to-state reaction, H + HD(vi = 0, ji = 0, mi = 0) → H2(vf = 0, jf = 1,2,3, mf = 1,..,jf) + D, over the whole range of scattering angles, where v, j, and m are the vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers for the initial and final states. The analysis extends and complements previous calculations for the same state-to-state reaction, which had jf = 0,1,2,3 and mf = 0, as reported by Xiahou, C.; Connor, J. N. L. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, 23, 13349-13369. Motivation comes from the state-of-the-art experiments and simulations of Yuan et al. Nature Chem. 2018, 10, 653-658 who have measured, for the first time, fast oscillations in the small-angle region of the degeneracy-averaged DCSs for jf = 1 and 3 as well as slow oscillations in the large-angle region. We start with the partial wave series (PWS) for the scattering amplitude expanded in a basis set of reduced rotation matrix elements. Then our main theoretical tools are two variants of Nearside-Farside (NF) theory applied to six transitions: (1) We apply unrestricted, restricted, and restrictedΔ NF decompositions to the PWS including resummations. The restricted and restrictedΔ NF DCSs correctly go to zero in the forward and backward directions when mf > 0, unlike the unrestricted NF DCSs, which incorrectly go to infinity. We also exploit the Local Angular Momentum theory to provide additional insights into the reaction dynamics. Properties of reduced rotation matrix elements of the second kind play an important role in the NF analysis, together with their caustics. (2) We apply an approximate N theory at intermediate and large angles, namely, the Semiclassical Optical Model of Herschbach. We show there are two different reaction mechanisms. The fast oscillations at small angles (sometimes called Fraunhofer diffraction/oscillations) are an NF interference effect. In contrast, the slow oscillations at intermediate and large angles are an N effect, which arise from a direct scattering, and are a "distorted mirror image" mechanism. We also compare these results with the experimental data.

Glories, hidden rainbows and nearside-farside interference effects in the angular scattering of the state-to-state H + HD → H2 + D reaction.

Yuan et al. [Nat. Chem., 2018, 10, 653] have reported state-of-the-art measurements of differential cross sections (DCSs) for the H + HD → H2 + D reaction, measuring for the first time fast oscillations in the small-angle forward region of the DCSs. We theoretically analyse the angular scattering dynamics in order to quantitatively understand the physical content of structure in the DCSs. We study the H + HD(vi = 0, ji = 0, mi = 0) → H2(vf = 0, jf = 0,1,2,3, mf = 0) + D reaction for the whole range of scattering angles from θR = 0° to θR = 180°, where v, j, m are the vibrational, rotational and helicity quantum numbers respectively for the initial and final states. The restriction to mf = 0 arises because states with mf ≠ 0 have DCSs that are identically zero in the forward (θR = 0°) and backward (θR = 180°) directions. We use accurate quantum scattering matrix elements computed by Yuan et al. at a translational energy of 1.35 eV for the BKMP2 potential energy surface. The following theoretical techniques are employed to analyse the DCSs: (a) full and nearside-farside (NF) partial wave series (PWS) and local angular momentum theory, including resummations of the full PWS up to third order. We also use window representations of the scattering matrix, which give rise to truncated PWS, (b) six asymptotic (semiclassical) small-angle glory theories and four N rainbow theories, (c) we introduce "CoroGlo" tests, which let us distinguish between glory and corona scattering at small angles for Legendre PWS, (d) the semiclassical optical model (SOM) of Herschbach is employed to understand structure in the DCSs at intermediate and large angles. Our conclusions are: (a) the small-angle peaks in the DCSs arise mainly from glory scattering. For the 000 → 020 transition, there is also a contribution from a broad, or hidden, N rainbow, (b) at larger angles, the fast oscillations in the DCSs arise from NF interference, (c) the N scattering in the fast oscillation region contains a hidden rainbow for the 000, 020, 030 cases. For the 000 → 020 transition, the rainbow extends up to θR ≈ 60°; for the 000 and 030 cases, the angular ranges containing a N rainbow are smaller, (d) at intermediate and backward angles, the slowly varying DCSs, which merge into slow oscillations, are explained by the SOM. Physically it shows this structure in a DCS arises from direct scattering and is a distorted mirror image of the corresponding probability versus total angular momentum quantum number plot.

Application of the Partial Wave QP Decomposition to the Angular Scattering of the State-to-State F + H2 Reaction at Etrans = 0.04088 eV.

We analyze the physical content of structures present in the product differential cross sections (DCSs) of the benchmark F + H2(vi, ji, mi) → FH(vf, jf, mf) + H reaction, where v, j, and m are the vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers, respectively, for the initial and final states. We analyze three state-to-state transitions: 000 → 300, 000 → 310, and 000 → 320. Accurate quantum S matrix elements are employed at a translational energy of 0.04088 eV for the Fu-Xu-Zhang potential energy surface. Our analysis of the DCSs uses a new technique called the QP decomposition; it makes an exact decomposition of the scattering (S) matrix into a Q part and a P part. The P part consists of a partial wave (PW) sum of Regge poles (involving both positions and residues) together with a rapidly oscillating quadratic phase. The Q part of the decomposition is then constructed exactly by subtracting the rapidly oscillating phase and the PW Regge pole sum from the input PW S matrix. In practice, it is convenient to make a small modification, which we call the QmodPmod decomposition. All our calculations use only integer values of the total angular momentum quantum number, namely, J = 0, 1, 2,... We find that the QmodPmod decomposition is successful and physically meaningful, in that the properties of Qmod matrix are simpler than those of the input S matrix. We then carry out a QmodPmod analysis of the DCSs, which provides novel insights into interference structures present in the angular scattering. In particular, we find for all three reactions that Regge resonances contribute across the whole angular range of the DCSs, being particularly pronounced at small angles. The techniques of nearside-farside decomposition and local angular momentum analysis for resummed Legendre PW series are also employed to provide additional insights into the angular scattering.

Rainbows, supernumerary rainbows and interference effects in the angular scattering of chemical reactions: an investigation using Heisenberg's S matrix programme.

In earlier research, we have demonstrated that broad "hidden" rainbows can occur in the product differential cross sections (DCSs) of state-to-state chemical reactions. Here we ask the question: can pronounced and localized rainbows, rather than broad hidden ones, occur in reactive DCSs? Further motivation comes from recent measurements by H. Pan and K. Liu, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2016, 120, 6712, of a "bulge" in a reactive DCS, which they conjecture is a rainbow. Our theoretical approach uses a "weak" version of Heisenberg's scattering matrix program (wHSMP) introduced by X. Shan and J. N. L. Connor, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 8392. This wHSMP uses four general physical principles for chemical reactions to suggest simple parameterized forms for the S matrix; it does not employ a potential energy surface. We use a parameterization in which the modulus of the S matrix is a smooth-step function of the total angular momentum quantum number, J, and (importantly) its phase is a cubic polynomial in J. We demonstrate for a Legendre partial wave series (PWS) the existence of pronounced rainbows, supernumerary rainbows, and other interference effects, in reactive DCSs. We find that reactive rainbows can be more complicated in their structure than the familiar rainbows of elastic scattering. We also analyse the angular scattering using Nearside-Farside (NF) PWS theory and NF PWS Local Angular Momentum (LAM) theory, including resummations of the PWS. In addition, we apply full and NF asymptotic (semiclassical) rainbow theories to the PWS - in particular, the uniform Airy and transitional Airy approximations for the farside scattering. This lets us prove that structure in the DCSs are indeed rainbows, supernumerary rainbows as well as other interference effects.

State-to-State F + H2 Reaction at Etrans = 0.04088 eV: QP Decomposition, Parametrized S Matrix Incorporating Regge Poles, and Uniform Asymptotic Complex Angular Momentum Analysis of the Angular Scattering.

We report two new contributions for understanding the quantum dynamics of the benchmark state-to-state reaction, F + H2(vi, ji, mi) → FH(vf, jf, mf) + H, where (vi, ji, mi) and (vf, jf, mf) are the initial and final vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers, respectively. We analyze product differential cross sections (DCSs) for the transitions, 000 → 300, 000 → 310, and 000 → 320, at a translational energy of 0.04088 eV using the potential energy surface of Fu-Xu-Zhang. The two new contributions are as follows: (1) We exploit the recently introduced QP decomposition of J. N. L. Connor [ J. Chem. Phys . 2013 , 138 , 124310 ] to transform numerical partial-wave scattering (S) matrix elements for the three transitions into parametrized (analytic) formulas, in which all terms in the three parametrized S matrices have a direct physical interpretation. In particular, they contain the positions and residues of Regge poles in the first quadrant of the complex angular momentum (CAM) plane. We obtain very close agreement between the values of the parametrized and numerical S matrix elements. (2) We then apply a uniform asymptotic Watson/CAM theory, which allows a Regge pole to be close to a saddle point. It uses the parametrized S matrices and is applied to the partial wave series (PWS) representation for the scattering amplitude to understand structure in a DCS in terms of three contributing subamplitudes. We prove using this powerful CAM theory that resonance Regge poles contribute to the small-angle scattering in the DCSs for all three transitions, with the oscillations at larger angles arising from nearside-farside interference. We obtain very good agreement between the uniform asymptotic Watson/CAM DCSs and the corresponding PWS DCSs, except for angles close to the forward and backward directions, where (as expected) the Watson/CAM formulas become nonuniform.

Angular Scattering Dynamics of the CH4 + Cl → CH3 + HCl Reaction Using Nearside-Farside, Local Angular Momentum, and Resummation Theories.

The differential cross section (DCS) for the CH4 + Cl → CH3 + HCl reaction is studied at six total energies where all of the species are in their ground states. The scattering (S) matrix elements have been calculated by the rotating line umbrella method for a dual-level ab initio analytic potential energy surface. We make the first application to this reaction of nearside-farside (NF) and local angular momentum (LAM) techniques, including resummation orders (r) of 0, 1, 2, and 3 for the partial-wave series representation of the full scattering amplitude. We find that resummation usually cleans the NF r = 0 DCSs of unphysical oscillations, especially at small angles. This cleaning effect is typically most pronounced when changing from no resummation (r = 0) to r = 1; further resummations from r = 1 to r = 2 and from r = 2 to r = 3 have smaller effects. The NF DCS analyses show that the reaction is N-dominated at sideward and large angles, whereas at small angles there are oscillations caused by NF interference. The NF LAM analysis provides consistent and complementary information, in particular for the total angular momenta that contribute to the reaction at different scattering angles. The NF analyses also provide justification for simpler N-dominant dynamical theories such as the semiclassical optical model, which provides an explanation for the distorted mirror image effect for the moduli of the S matrix elements and the DCSs, as well as the use of a hard-sphere DCS over limited angular ranges.

Application of Heisenberg's S matrix program to the angular scattering of the state-to-state F + H2 reaction.

This paper makes two applications of Heisenberg's S matrix program (HSMP) to the differential cross section (DCS) of the benchmark reaction F + H2(vi = 0, ji = 0, mi = 0) → FH(vf = 3, jf = 3, mf = 0) + H, at a relative translational energy of 0.119 eV (total energy, 0.3872 eV), where v, j, m are vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers, respectively, for the initial and final states. (1) The first application employs a "weak" version of HSMP in which no potential energy surface (PES) is employed. It uses four simple S matrix parametrizations, two of which are piecewise continuous, and two are piecewise discontinuous, developed earlier by X. Shan and J. N. L. Connor (J. Phys. Chem. A 2012, 116, 11414-11426) for the state-to-state H + D2 reaction. We find that the small-angle DCS is reproduced for only θR ≲ 10° when compared with the DCS for a numerical S matrix obtained in a large-scale quantum scattering computation using a PES. Here θR is the reactive scattering angle. (2) In our second application, we ask the question "Can simple modifications to the parametrized S matrix be made in order to extend the agreement to larger angles?" To answer this question, we adopt a "hybrid" version of HSMP, as outlined by Shan and Connor (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2011, 13, 8392-8406), which indirectly uses PES information. We make simple Gaussian-type modifications to both the modulus and argument of the S matrix. We then obtain agreement between the DCSs for the modified and numerical S matrices up to θR ≲ 70°, a significant improvement compared with θR ≲ 10° for the unmodified parametrizations. We find that modifying the argument but not the modulus, or modifying the modulus but not the argument, fails to extend the agreement to larger angles. A semiclassical analysis is used to prove that the enhanced small-angle scattering for the "modified-modulus-modified-argument" parametrized S matrix is an example of a forward glory.

The 6Hankel asymptotic approximation for the uniform description of rainbows and glories in the angular scattering of state-to-state chemical reactions: derivation, properties and applications.

This paper considers the asymptotic (semiclassical) analysis of a forward glory and a rainbow in the differential cross section (DCS) of a state-to-state chemical reaction, whose scattering amplitude is given by a Legendre partial wave series (PWS). A recent paper by C. Xiahou, J. N. L. Connor and D. H. Zhang [Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 12981] stated without proof a new asymptotic formula for the scattering amplitude, which is uniform for a glory and a rainbow in the DCS. The new formula was designated "6Hankel" because it involves six Hankel functions. This paper makes three contributions: (1) we provide a detailed derivation of the 6Hankel approximation. This is done by first generalizing a method described by G. F. Carrier [J. Fluid Mech., 1966, 24, 641] for the uniform asymptotic evaluation of an oscillating integral with two real coalescing stationary phase points, which results in the "2Hankel" approximation (it contains two Hankel functions). Application of the 2Hankel approximation to the PWS results in the 6Hankel approximation for the scattering amplitude. We also test the accuracy of the 2Hankel approximation when it is used to evaluate three oscillating integrals of the cuspoid type. (2) We investigate the properties of the 6Hankel approximation. In particular, it is shown that for angles close to the forward direction, the 6Hankel approximation reduces to the "semiclassical transitional approximation" for glory scattering derived earlier. For scattering close to the rainbow angle, the 6Hankel approximation reduces to the "transitional Airy approximation", also derived earlier. (3) Using a J-shifted Eckart parameterization for the scattering matrix, we investigate the accuracy of the 6Hankel approximation for a DCS. We also compare with angular scattering results from the "uniform Bessel", "uniform Airy" and other semiclassical approximations.

Resonance Regge poles and the state-to-state F + H2 reaction: QP decomposition, parametrized S matrix, and semiclassical complex angular momentum analysis of the angular scattering.

Three new contributions to the complex angular momentum (CAM) theory of differential cross sections (DCSs) for chemical reactions are reported. They exploit recent advances in the Padé reconstruction of a scattering (S) matrix in a region surrounding the ReJ axis, where J is the total angular momentum quantum variable, starting from the discrete values, J = 0, 1, 2, .... In particular, use is made of Padé continuations obtained by Sokolovski, Castillo, and Tully [Chem. Phys. Lett. 313, 225 (1999)] for the S matrix of the benchmark F + H2(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0, m(i) = 0) → FH(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 3, m(f) = 0) + H reaction. Here v(i), j(i), m(i) and v(f), j(f), m(f) are the initial and final vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers, respectively. The three contributions are: (1) A new exact decomposition of the partial wave (PW) S matrix is introduced, which is called the QP decomposition. The P part contains information on the Regge poles. The Q part is then constructed exactly by subtracting a rapidly oscillating phase and the PW P matrix from the input PW S matrix. After a simple modification, it is found that the corresponding scattering subamplitudes provide insight into the angular-scattering dynamics using simple partial wave series (PWS) computations. It is shown that the leading n = 0 Regge pole contributes to the small-angle scattering in the centre-of-mass frame. (2) The Q matrix part of the QP decomposition has simpler properties than the input S matrix. This fact is exploited to deduce a parametrized (analytic) formula for the PW S matrix in which all terms have a direct physical interpretation. This is a long sort-after goal in reaction dynamics, and in particular for the state-to-state F + H2 reaction. (3) The first definitive test is reported for the accuracy of a uniform semiclassical (asymptotic) CAM theory for a DCS based on the Watson transformation. The parametrized S matrix obtained in contribution (2) is used in both the PW and semiclassical parts of the calculation. Powerful uniform asymptotic approximations are employed for the background integral; they allow for the proximity of a Regge pole and a saddle point. The CAM DCS agrees well with the PWS DCS, across the whole angular range, except close to the forward and backward directions, where, as expected, the CAM theory becomes non-uniform. At small angles, θ(R) ≲ 40°, the PWS DCS can be reproduced using a nearside semiclassical subamplitude, which allows for a pole being close to a saddle point, plus the farside surface wave of the n = 0 pole sub-subamplitude, with the oscillations in the DCS arising from nearside-farside interference. This proves that the n = 0 Regge resonance pole contributes to the small-angle scattering.

Application of Heisenberg's S matrix program to the angular scattering of the H + D2(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) → HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0) + D reaction: piecewise S matrix elements using linear, quadratic, step-function, and top-hat parametrizations.

A previous paper by Shan and Connor (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2011, 13, 8392) reported the surprising result that four simple parametrized S matrices can reproduce the forward-angle glory scattering of the H + D(2)(v(i)=0,j(i)=0) → HD(v(f)=3,j(f)=0) + D reaction, whose differential cross section (DCS) had been computed in a state-of-the-art scattering calculation for a state-of-the-art potential energy surface. Here, v and j are vibrational and rotational quantum numbers, respectively, and the translational energy is 1.81 eV. This paper asks the question: Can we replace the analytic functions (of class C(ω)) used by Shan-Connor with simpler mathematical functions and still reproduce the forward-angle glory scattering? We first construct S matrix elements (of class C(0)) using a quadratic phase and a piecewise-continuous pre-exponential factor consisting of three pieces. Two of the pieces are constants, with one taking the value N (a real normalization constant) at small values of the total angular momentum number, J; the other piece has the value 0 at large J. These two pieces are joined at intermediate values of J by either a straight line, giving rise to the linear parametrization (denoted param L), or a quadratic curve, which defines the quadratic parametrization (param Q). We find that both param L and param Q can reproduce the glory scattering for center-of-mass reactive scattering angles, θ(R) ≲ 30°. Second, we use a piecewise-discontinuous pre-exponential factor and a quadratic phase, giving rise to a step-function parametrization (param SF) and a top-hat parametrization (param TH). We find that both param SF and param TH can reproduce the forward-angle scattering, even though these class C(-1) parametrizations are usually considered too simplistic to be useful for calculations of DCSs. We find that an ultrasimplistic param THz, which is param TH with a phase of zero, can also reproduce the glory scattering at forward angles. The S matrix elements for param THz are real and consist of five nonzero equal values, given by S(J) = 0.02266, for the window, J = 21(1)25. Param THz is sufficiently simple that we can derive closed forms for the partial wave scattering amplitude, f(θ(R)), and the near-side (N) and far-side (F) subamplitudes. We show that window representations of f(θ(R)) provide important insights into the range of J values that contribute to the reaction dynamics. Other theoretical techniques used are NF theory for the analysis of DCSs and full and NF local angular momentum theory, in both cases including up to three resummations of f(θ(R)) before making the NF decomposition. Finally, we investigate the accuracy of various semiclassical glory theories for the DCS of param L. By varying one phase parameter for param L, we show that the uniform semiclassical approximation is accurate from θ(R) = 0° to close to θ(R) = 180°. Our approach is an example of a "weak" form of Heisenberg's S matrix program, which does not use a potential energy surface(s); rather it focuses on the properties of the S matrix. Our method is easy to apply to DCSs from experimental measurements or from computer simulations.

Semiclassical glory analyses in the time domain for the H + D2(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) → HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0) + D reaction.

We make the first application of semiclassical (SC) techniques to the plane-wavepacket formulation of time-domain (T-domain) scattering. The angular scattering of the state-to-state reaction, H + D(2)(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) → HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0) + D, is analysed, where v and j are vibrational and rotational quantum numbers, respectively. It is proved that the forward-angle scattering in the T-domain, which arises from a delayed mechanism, is an example of a glory. The SC techniques used in the T-domain are: An integral transitional approximation, a semiclassical transitional approximation, a uniform semiclassical approximation (USA), a primitive semiclassical approximation and a classical semiclassical approximation. Nearside-farside (NF) scattering theory is also employed, both partial wave and SC, since a NF analysis provides valuable insights into oscillatory structures present in the full scattering pattern. In addition, we incorporate techniques into the SC theory called "one linear fit" and "two linear fits", which allow the derivative of the quantum deflection function, Θ̃(')(J), to be estimated when Θ̃J exhibits undulations as a function of J, the total angular momentum variable. The input to our SC analyses is numerical scattering (S) matrix data, calculated from accurate quantum collisional calculations for the Boothroyd-Keogh-Martin-Peterson potential energy surface No. 2, in the energy domain (E-domain), from which accurate S matrix elements in the T-domain are generated. In the E-domain, we introduce a new technique, called "T-to-E domain SC analysis." It half-Fourier transforms the E-domain accurate quantum scattering amplitude to the T-domain, where we carry out a SC analysis; this is followed by an inverse half-Fourier transform of the T-domain SC scattering amplitude back to the E-domain. We demonstrate that T-to-E USA differential cross sections (DCSs) agree well with exact quantum DCSs at forward angles, for energies where a direct USA analysis in the E-domain fails.

Rainbows and glories in the angular scattering of the state-to-state F + H2 reaction at E(trans)=0.04088 eV.

State-of-the-art differential cross sections (DCSs) have been reported by Wang et al. [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (U.S.), 2008, 105, 6227] for the state-to-state F + H(2)→ FH + H reaction using fully quantum-state-selected crossed molecular beams. We theoretically analyze the angular scattering of this reaction, in order to quantitatively understand the physical content of structure in the DCSs. Three transitions are studied, v(i)=0, j(i)=0, m(i)=0 → v(f)=3, j(f)=0, 1, 2, m(f)=0 at a translational energy of 0.04088 eV, where v, j, m are the vibrational, rotational and helicity quantum numbers respectively for the initial and final states. The input to our analyses consists of accurate quantum scattering (S) matrix elements computed for the Fu-Xu-Zhang potential energy surface, as used by Wang et al. in a computational simulation of their experimental DCSs. We prove that the pronounced peak at forward angles observed in the experimental and simulated DCSs for all three transitions is a glory. At larger angles, it is demonstrated that the 000 → 300 and 000 → 310 DCSs both possess a broad farside rainbow, which is accompanied by diffraction oscillations. We confirm the conjecture of Wang et al. that these diffraction oscillations arise from nearside-farside (NF) interference. We find that the reaction is N dominant for all three transitions. The theoretical techniques used to analyze the angular scattering include uniform semiclassical theories of glory and of rainbow scattering. We also make the first application of a semiclassical formula that is uniform for both glory + rainbow scattering. In addition, structure in the DCSs is analyzed using NF theory and local angular momentum theory, in both cases with three resummations of the partial wave series for the scattering amplitude. We make the first explicit application of the Thiele rational interpolation formula to extract the position and residue of the leading Regge pole from a set of S matrix elements, thereby making contact with complex angular momentum theories of DCSs, which interpret the angular scattering in terms of Regge resonances. Our calculations complement the exit-valley vibrationally-adiabatic analysis of Wang et al.

Angular scattering using parameterized S matrix elements for the H + D2(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) → HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0) + D reaction: an example of Heisenberg's S matrix programme.

A neglected topic in the theory of reactive scattering is the use of parameterized scattering (S) matrix elements to calculate differential cross sections (DCSs). We construct four simple parameterizations, whose moduli are smooth step-functions and whose phases are quadratic functions of the total angular momentum quantum number. Application is made to forward glory scattering in the DCS of the H + D(2)(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) → HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0) + D reaction at a translational energy of 1.81 eV, where v and j are vibrational and rotational quantum numbers respectively. The parameterized S matrix elements can reproduce the forward scattering for centre-of-mass reactive scattering angles up to 30° and can identify the total angular momenta (equivalently, impact parameters) that contribute to the glory. The theoretical techniques employed to analyze structure in the DCS include: nearside-farside theory, local angular momentum theory--in both cases incorporating resummations of the partial wave series representation of the scattering amplitude--and the uniform semiclassical theory of forward glory scattering. Our approach is an example of Heisenberg's S matrix programme, in which no potential energy surface is used. Our calculations for the DCS using the four parameterized S matrix elements are counterexamples to the following universal statements often found in the chemical physics literature: "every molecular scattering investigation needs detailed information about the interaction potential," and "an accurate potential energy surface is an essential element in carrying out simulations of a chemical reaction". Both these statements are false.

Dynamics of the I + HI --> IH + I reaction: application of nearside-farside, local angular momentum and resummation theories using the Fuller and Hatchell decompositions.

The differential cross section (DCS) for the I + HI(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) --> IH(v(f) = 0, j(f) = 2) + I reaction at a translational energy of 21.3 meV is studied, where v(i), j(i) and v(f), j(f) are vibrational, rotational quantum numbers for the initial and final states respectively. We apply new theoretical developments (since 2001) in nearside-farside (NF) theory to provide insights into intricate oscillatory structures in its DCS. It is shown that a simple physically-meaningful parameterization of the scattering (S) matrix, using a background Gaussian term plus a single Regge pole and a quadratic phase, can reproduce, in the forward and sideward directions, the intricate angular scattering obtained from numerical S matrix elements computed from a quantum Born-Oppenheimer-Centrifugal-Sudden scattering technique. This encouraging result suggests that many S matrix elements obtained from computer-intensive calculations can be parameterized in a similar physically-meaningful way. The manner in which the full and NF DCSs change when the Regge pole becomes progressively less important compared to the Gaussian term is also investigated. We report the first application to reactive scattering of the Hatchell NF decomposition, including resummations of the Legendre partial wave series for the scattering amplitude. The Hatchell NF resummed DCSs are compared with the corresponding Fuller NF resummed DCSs for resummation orders of r = 0, 1, 2 and 3. We find that the Fuller NF decomposition always provides a better physical interpretation of the angular scattering. Resummation usually cleans the NF DCSs of unphysical oscillations, especially in the farside (F) DCSs, with the greatest cleaning effect on going from no resummation (r = 0) to first order resummation (r = 1). Identities are derived which relate the Fuller and Hatchell NF subamplitudes for resummation orders, r > 0, to the NF unresummed subamplitudes, r = 0. These identities help us understand the origin of unexpected peaks, which sometimes appear in NF resummed DCSs, together with a simple procedure to remove them. We report Local Angular Momentum (LAM) and DCS x LAM (CLAM) analyses of the angular scattering for r = 0 and r = 1 using the Fuller NF decomposition. The LAM and CLAM analyses provide complementary (yet consistent) information to that obtained from the NF resummed DCSs. It is shown that the "l window representation", as used to analyse elastic scattering in the presence of strong absorption, is a special case of the general resummation theory developed in this paper.

A new rainbow: angular scattering of the F + H2(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) --> FH(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 3) + H reaction.

The angular scattering of a state-to-state chemical reaction contains fundamental information on its dynamics. Often the angular distributions are highly structured and the physical interpretation of this structure is an important and difficult problem. Here, we report a surprising finding for the benchmark F + H(2) --> FH + H reaction, when the product molecule FH is in a vibrational state with quantum number = 3 and a rotational state with quantum number = 3. We demonstrate that the differential cross section (DCS) is an example of (attractive) rainbow scattering, being characterized by an Airy function and its derivative. The rainbow reveals its presence in the DCS by interference with the repulsive (or nearside) scattering producing characteristic diffraction oscillations. The rainbow is broad, which explains why it has not been recognized in the many earlier theoretical and experimental investigations of this reaction. There is an angular region in the DCS where the rainbow dominates, but with the unusual property that the DCS is less intense than in adjoining angular regions. The reaction investigated is F + H(2)(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0, m(i) = 0) --> FH(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 3, m(f) = 0) + H, where v(i), j(i), m(i) and v(f), j(f), m(f) are initial and final vibrational, rotational and helicity quantum numbers, respectively. The relative translational energy is 0.119 eV. We use rigorous semiclassical (asymptotic) techniques that provide physical insight as well as a mathematically sound and numerically accurate description of the angular scattering. The semiclassical DCS agrees very closely with the exact quantum DCS. The semiclassical scattering amplitude is used to assess the physical effectiveness of the Fuller nearside-farside decomposition for the partial wave series of the F + H(2) reaction, including the effect of one resummation. We also compare the semiclassical and exact quantum nearside, farside, and full local angular momenta and find good agreement. Although our new rainbow has unusual and unexpected properties, similar rainbows are predicted to occur in the DCSs of many state-to-state chemical reactions, since the semiclassical analysis is generic and not specific to the present F + H(2) example.

Filtering reaction dynamics using nearside-farside theory and local angular momentum theory: application to the angular scattering of the H + D2(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0) --> HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0) + D reaction in the energy and time domains.

We investigate methods for filtering reaction mechanisms in the angular scattering of the state-to-state reaction, H + D(2)(v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0, m(i) = 0) --> HD(v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0, m(f) = 0) + D, where v(i), j(i), and m(i) and v(f), j(f), and m(f) are initial and final vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers, respectively. The input to our filtrations is a new set of accurate quantum scattering matrix elements for total energies in the range 1.52-2.50 eV (in steps of 0.01 eV) and for total angular momentum quantum numbers in the range, 0-40, in steps of unity. We filter reaction mechanisms in both the energy domain and the time domain. The time-domain calculations employ the plane wave packet formulation of time-dependent scattering. The theoretical tools used are nearside-farside (NF) analysis of partial wave series for scattering amplitudes, together with NF local angular momentum (LAM) theory. An energy-domain LAM analysis reveals the existence of an important dynamical feature in the N scattering, a "trench" which bisects the (energy, angle) plane. We use the location of this trench to approximately filter two reaction mechanisms. Transformation to the time domain demonstrates that the two reaction mechanisms correspond to direct and delayed (by about 25 fs) scattering. Further analysis, including filtration in the time domain, shows that the pronounced LAM trench arises from the interference of the energy-domain analogues of the time-direct and time-delayed scattering. Our theory and results provide the first successful demonstration of reaction mechanism filtering carried out directly in the (energy, angle) domain. The calculations and results in this paper extend and complement earlier research reported by Monks, Connor, and Althorpe (Monks, P. D. D.; Connor, J. N. L.; Althorpe, S. C. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 741; J. Phys. Chem. A 2007, 111, 10302).

Nearside-farside and local angular momentum analyses of time-independent scattering amplitudes for the H + D2 (vi = 0, ji = 0) --> HD (vf = 3, jf = 0) + D reaction.

The scattering dynamics of the state-to-state reaction H + D2 (v(i) = 0, j(i) = 0, m(i) = 0) --> HD (v(f) = 3, j(f) = 0, m(f) = 0) + D is investigated, where vi, ji, mi and vf, jf, mf are initial and final vibrational, rotational, and helicity quantum numbers, respectively. We use accurate quantum scattering matrix elements for total energies in the range 1.52-2.50 eV (calculated stepwise in 0.01 eV increments). The theoretical tools used are a nearside-farside (NF) analysis of the partial wave series (PWS) for the scattering amplitude, together with NF local angular momentum (LAM) theory. We find that the backward scattering, which is the energy-domain analog of the time-direct reaction mechanism, is N dominated, whereas the forward scattering (time-delayed analog) is a result of NF interference between the more slowly varying N and F subamplitudes. The LAM analysis reveals the existence of a "trench-ridge" structure. We also resum the PWS up to three times prior to making the NF decomposition. We show that such resummations usually provide an improved physical interpretation of the NF differential cross sections (DCSs) and NF LAMs. We analyze two resummed scattering amplitudes in more detail, where particular values of the resummation parameters give rise to unexpected unphysical behavior in the N and F DCSs over a small angular range. We analyze the cause of this unphysical behavior and describe viable workarounds to the problem. The energy-domain calculations in this paper complement the time-domain results reported earlier by Monks, P. D. D.; Connor, J. N. L.; Althorpe, S. C. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 741.

Local angular momentum-local impact parameter analysis: derivation and properties of the fundamental identity, with applications to the F+H2, H+D2, and Cl+HCl chemical reactions.

The technique of local angular momentum-local impact parameter (LAM-LIP) analysis has recently been shown to provide valuable dynamical information on the angular scattering of chemical reactions under semiclassical conditions. The LAM-LIP technique exploits a nearside-farside (NF) decomposition of the scattering amplitude, which is assumed to be a Legendre partial wave series. In this paper, we derive the "fundamental NF LAM identity," which relates the full LAM to the NF LAMs (there is a similar identity for the LIP case). Two derivations are presented. The first uses complex variable techniques, while the second exploits an analogy between the motion of the scattering amplitude in the Argand plane with changing angle and the classical mechanical motion of a particle in a plane with changing time. Alternative forms of the fundamental LAM-LIP identity are described, one of which gives rise to a CLAM-CLIP plot, where CLAM denotes (Cross section) x LAM and CLIP denotes (Cross section) x LIP. Applications of the NF LAM theory, together with CLAM plots, are reported for state-to-state transitions of the benchmark reactions F+H2-->FH+H, H+D2-->HD+D, and Cl+HCl-->ClH+Cl, using as input both numerical and parametrized scattering matrix elements. We use the fundamental LAM identity to explain the important empirical observation that a NF cross section analysis and a NF LAM analysis provide consistent (and complementary) information on the dynamics of chemical reactions.