Laser cooling of BeCl and BeBr molecules in an ab initio method.

In this study, the feasibility of laser-cooling of BeCl and BeBr molecules is studied using ab initio quantum chemistry. The potential energy curves for the X(2)Σ(+), A(2)Π, and 2(2)Π electronic states of BeCl and BeBr are plotted based on multi-reference configuration interaction plus Davidson corrections (MRCI + Q), and the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effects are considered at the MRCI + Q level. The calculated spectroscopic parameters agree with the experimental data. Highly diagonally distributed Franck-Condon factors are determined for the A(2)Π(ν' = 0) ← X(2)Σ(+)(ν'' = 0) transition: f00(BeCl) = 0.947 and f00(BeBr) = 0.966. Moreover, the suitable radiative lifetimes τ of the A(2)Π(ν' = 0) state are determined for rapid laser cooling: τ(BeCl) = 18.38 ns and τ(BeBr) = 27.09 ns. The proposed cooling wavelengths of both BeCl and BeBr are within the ultraviolet region at λ00(BeCl) = 358.51 nm and λ00(BeBr) = 379.38 nm. Laser cooling schemes for BeCl and BeBr molecules are also developed in consideration of the SOC effects. These results indicate that the inclusion of SOC effects does not affect the judgment of the feasibility of laser cooling of BeCl and BeBr molecules, even for the given BeBr molecules in which the SOC effect is significant.

Transport coefficients and entropy-scaling law in liquid iron up to Earth-core pressures.

Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to study the structural and transport properties, including the pair distribution function, the structure factor, the pair correlation entropy, self-diffusion coefficient, and viscosity, of liquid iron under high temperature and high pressure conditions. Our calculated results reproduced experimentally determined structure factors of liquid iron, and the calculated self-diffusion coefficients and viscosity agree well with previous simulation results. We show that there is a moderate increase of self-diffusion coefficients and viscosity along the melting curve up to the Earth-core pressure. Furthermore, the temperature dependencies of the pair correlation entropy, self-diffusion, and viscosity under high pressure condition have been investigated. Our results suggest that the temperature dependence of the pair correlation entropy is well described by T(-1) scaling, while the Arrhenius law well describes the temperature dependencies of self-diffusion coefficients and viscosity under high pressure. In particular, we find that the entropy-scaling laws, proposed by Rosenfeld [Phys. Rev. A 15, 2545 (1977)] and Dzugutov [Nature (London) 381, 137 (1996)] for self-diffusion coefficients and viscosity in liquid metals under ambient pressure, still hold well for liquid iron under high temperature and high pressure conditions. Using the entropy-scaling laws, we can obtain transport properties from structural properties under high pressure and high temperature conditions. The results provide a useful ingredient in understanding transport properties of planet's cores.