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We evaluate the phenylacetylene-argon intermolecular potential energy surface by fitting a representative number of ab initio interaction energies to an analytic function. These energies are calculated at a grid of intermolecular geometries, using the CCSD(T) method and the aug-cc-pVDZ basis set extended with a series of 3s3p2d1f1g midbond functions. The potential is characterized by two equivalent global minima where the Ar atom is located above and below the phenylacetylene plane at a distance of 3.5781 Å from the molecular center of mass and at an angle of 9.08° with respect to the axis perpendicular to the phenylacetylene plane and containing the center of mass. The calculated interaction energy is -418.9 cm(-1). To check further the potential, we obtain the rovibrational spectrum of the complex and the results are compared to the available experimental data.

The benzene-Ar ground-state S(0) intermolecular potential energy surface is evaluated using the coupled cluster singles and doubles model including connected triple corrections and the augmented correlation consistent polarized valence triple-zeta basis set extended with a set of 3s3p2d1f1g midbond functions. The surface is characterized by absolute minima of -390.1 cm(-1) where the argon atom is located on the benzene C(6) axis at distances of +/-3.536 A, and has a general shape close to the available ground-state S(0) and the first singlet S(1) and triplet T(1) excited-state surfaces. Using the potential, the intermolecular level structure of the complex is evaluated. The new intermolecular potential energy surface gives very accurate results and improves those previously available.

Discusses the results of nonlinear Raman spectroscopy on the intermolecular transitions of the perprotonated and perdeuterated isotopomers of benzene-Ar. Bands observed for each species; Performance of band-contour measurements; Comparison of the results to simulated contours.

In application to benzene-Ar we test a procedure that makes use of conveniently calculated J=0 intermolecular eigenstates to compute molecular constants and transition intensities without requiring explicit diagonalization of the full rotational/intermolecular vibrational Hamiltonian of the species. The approach relies on the ability to calculate the orientation of an Eckart body-fixed frame for each point on a grid over which a J=0 state is represented. That ability allows one to compute vibrational matrix elements of operators referred to the Eckart axes while working with J=0 eigenstates obtained in an entirely different body-fixed frame. Generally excellent agreement is found between the Eckart results and those obtained by others via diagonalization of the full rotational/intermolecular vibrational Hamiltonian. Finally, a general prescription for the construction of an efficient rovibrational basis from J=0 solutions in a convenient body-fixed frame is presented. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]