Simulation of collision-induced absorption spectra based on classical trajectories and ab initio potential and induced dipole surfaces. II. CO2-Ar rototranslational band including true dimer contribution.

This paper presents further development of the new semi-classical trajectory-based formalism described in Paper I [Chistikov et al., J. Chem. Phys. 151, 194106 (2019)]. We report the results of simulation and analysis of the low-frequency collision-induced absorption (CIA) in CO2-Ar, including its true dimer component. Our consideration relies on the use of ab initio intermolecular potential energy and induced dipole surfaces for CO2-Ar calculated in an assumption of a rigid CO2 structure using the CCSD(T) method. The theory, the details of which are reported in Paper I [Chistikov et al., J. Chem. Phys. 151, 194106 (2019)], permits taking into account the effect of unbound and quasi-bound classical trajectories on the CIA in the range of a rototranslational band. This theory is largely extended by trajectory-based simulation of the true bound dimer absorption in the present paper. The spectra are obtained from a statistical average over a vast ensemble of classical trajectories restricted by properly chosen domains in the phase space. Rigorous classical theory is developed for two low-order spectral moments interpreted as the Boltzmann-weighted average of the respective dipole functions. These spectral moments were then used to check the accuracy of our trajectory-based spectra, for which both spectral moments can be evaluated independently in terms of specific integrals over the trajectory-based calculated spectral profiles. Good agreement between the spectral moments calculated as integrals over the frequency domain or the phase space largely supports the reliability of our simulated CIA spectra, which conform with the available microwave and far-infrared observations.

Simulation of collision-induced absorption spectra based on classical trajectories and ab initio potential and induced dipole surfaces. I. Case study of N2-N2 rototranslational band.

This paper presents theoretical formalism and some results of the collision-induced absorption (CIA) spectral simulation based on the classical trajectory analysis. Our consideration relies on the use of ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces for two interacting rigid monomers. Rigorous intermolecular Hamiltonian is represented and used in the body-fixed reference frame. The complete set of dynamical equations with Boltzmann-weighted initial conditions is solved to render a large number of classical trajectories. The spectral shape is calculated as an ensemble-averaged Fourier spectrum issued from the time-dependent induced dipole along individual scattering trajectories. Considering a pair of N2 molecules as an example, we have calculated the rototranslational CIA band profiles at T = 78, 89, 109, 129, 149, 179, 228, 300, and 343 K. The classical trajectory-based spectral shape was corrected to satisfy the quantum principle of detailed balance. Good accuracy of our semiclassical approach was demonstrated by comparison with available experimental data as well as with results of the previously published purely quantum simulation by Karman et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 142, 084306 (2015)] in which the same ab initio calculated N2-N2 potential energy and induced dipole moment surfaces were used.

Comprehensive classical analysis of partition function and some observables for weakly interacting polyatomic dimers.

This paper presents the systematic classical consideration of a statistical averaging procedure that permits the calculation of partition function, equilibrium constant, and some observables for polyatomic dimers composed of weakly interacting rigid monomers. It was shown that the number of independent internal coordinates in a body-fixed frame is a crucial parameter that largely determines the temperature dependence of the partition function irrespective of the kinematic coupling within various degrees of freedom. The kinetic energy was derived for the molecular pair of arbitrary complexity in the body-fixed frame. Rigorous expression was obtained for the partition function over a pre-selected domain in the phase space. A similar expression was applicable to perform statistical averaging of some observables. Taking a linear molecule-atom as an example, it was shown how the suggested general approach permits the calculation of the equilibrium constant for true bound dimer formation or zeroth spectral moment of a collision-induced absorption band.

Ab initio 3D potential energy and dipole moment surfaces for the CH4-Ar complex: Collision-induced intensity and dimer content.

We present new three-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) and dipole moment surfaces (DMSs) for the CH4-Ar van der Waals system. Ab initio calculations of the PES and DMS were carried out using the closed-shell single- and double-excitation coupled cluster approach with non-iterative perturbative treatment of triple excitations. The augmented correlation-consistent aug-cc-pVXZ (X = D,T,Q) basis sets were employed, and the energies obtained were then extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. The dipole moment surface was obtained using aug-cc-pVTZ basis set augmented with mid-bond functions for better description of exchange interactions. The second mixed virial coefficient was calculated and compared to available experimental data. The equilibrium constant for true dimer formation was calculated using classical partition function based on the knowledge of ab initio PES. Temperature variations of the zeroth spectral moment of the rototranslational collision-induced band as well as its true dimer constituent were traced with the use of the Boltzmann-weighted squared induced dipole properly integrated over respective phase space domains. Height profiles for N2-N2, N2-H2, CH4-N2, (CH4)2, and CH4-Ar true bound dimers in Titan's atmosphere were calculated with the use of reliable ab initio PESs.