Hydrogen-atom photofragment spectroscopy. Photodissociation dynamics of H2O in the B–X absorption band
- 1 January 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in Faraday Discussions of the Chemical Society
- Vol. 82, 99-110
- https://doi.org/10.1039/dc9868200099
Abstract
The photofragmentation dynamics of H2O molecules following vacuum ultraviolet laser excitation at wavelengths within the B1A1–X1A1 absorption band have been investigated using a novel from of photofragment translational spectroscopy. Analysis of the nascent H atom time-of-flight spectra confirms the importance of the dissociation channel leading to ground-state H + OH products. In addition, it reveals that the OH(X) fragments are formed predominantly in their zero-point vibrational level with a highly excited, inverted rotational-state population distribution. A consideration of the topology of the various potential-energy surfaces sampled by the H2O molecules during this electronically non-adiabatic dissociation process suggests a likely explanation for this observed pattern of energy disposal.Keywords
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