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Controlling molecular reactivity by shaped laser pulses is a long-standing goal in chemistry. Here, we suggest a direct optimal control approach that combines external pulse optimization with other control parameters arising in the upcoming field of vibro-polaritonic chemistry for enhanced controllability. The direct optimal control approach is characterized by a simultaneous simulation and optimization paradigm, meaning that the equations of motion are discretized and converted into a set of holonomic constraints for a nonlinear optimization problem given by the control functional. Compared with indirect optimal control, this procedure offers great flexibility, such as final time or Hamiltonian parameter optimization. A simultaneous direct optimal control theory will be applied to a model system describing H-atom transfer in a lossy Fabry–Pérot cavity under vibrational strong coupling conditions. Specifically, optimization of the cavity coupling strength and, thus, of the control landscape will be demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, X-ray spectroscopy has become a routine tool that can reveal highly local and element-specific information on the electronic structure of atoms in complex environments. Here, we report on the development of an efficient and versatile theoretical methodology for the treatment of soft X-ray spectra of transition metal compounds based on the multi-configurational self-consistent field electronic structure theory. A special focus is put on the L-edge photon-in/photon-out and photon-in/electron-out processes, i.e. X-ray absorption, resonant inelastic scattering, partial fluorescence yield, and photoelectron spectroscopy, all treated on the same theoretical footing. The investigated systems range from small prototypical coordination compounds and catalysts to aggregates of biomolecules.

The gas phase vibrational spectroscopy of the protonated ammonia dimer N2H7+, a prototypical system for strong hydrogen bonding, is studied in the spectral region from 330 to 1650 cm-1 by combining infrared multiple photon dissociation and multidimensional quantum mechanical simulations. The fundamental transition of the antisymmetric proton stretching vibration is observed at 374 cm-1 and assigned on the basis of a six-dimensional model Hamiltonian, which predicts this transition at 471 cm-1. Photodissociation spectra of the larger protonated ammonia clusters NH4+(NH3)n with n=2–4 are also reported for the range from 1050 to 1575 cm-1. The main absorption features can be assigned within the harmonic approximation, supporting earlier evidence that hydrogen bonding in these clusters is considerably weaker than for n=1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas phase vibrational spectroscopy of the protonated ammonia dimer N2H7+, a prototypical system for strong hydrogen bonding, is studied in the spectral region from 330 to 1650 cm-1 by combining infrared multiple photon dissociation and multidimensional quantum mechanical simulations. The fundamental transition of the antisymmetric proton stretching vibration is observed at 374 cm-1 and assigned on the basis of a six-dimensional model Hamiltonian, which predicts this transition at 471 cm-1. Photodissociation spectra of the larger protonated ammonia clusters NH4+(NH3)n with n=2–4 are also reported for the range from 1050 to 1575 cm-1. The main absorption features can be assigned within the harmonic approximation, supporting earlier evidence that hydrogen bonding in these clusters is considerably weaker than for n=1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been some controversy concerning the assignment of measured tunneling splittings for the formic acid dimer in the vibrational ground state and the asymmetric CO-stretching excited state. The discussion is intimately related to the question whether the fundamental excitation of the CO-vibration promotes or hinders tunneling. Here we will address this issue on the basis of a five-dimensional reaction space Hamiltonian which includes three large amplitude coordinates as well as two harmonic modes whose linear superposition reproduces the asymmetric CO-vibrational mode. Within density functional theory using the B3LYP functional together with a 6-311++G(3df,3pd) basis set we obtain a ground state tunneling splitting which is about 2.4 larger than the one for the CO-stretching excited state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Femtosecond dynamics of molecular vibrations as well as cage motions in the B←X transition of Cl2 in solid Ar have been investigated. We observed molecular vibrational wave-packet motion in experimental pump-probe spectra and an additional oscillation with a 500 fs period which is assigned to the zone-boundary phonon of the Ar crystal. The cage motion is impulsively driven by the B←X transition due to the expansion of the electronic cloud of the chromophore. To clarify the underlying mechanism, we performed simulations based on the diatomics-in-molecules method which takes into account the different shapes of the Cl2 electronic wave function in the B and X states as well as the anisotropic interaction with the matrix. The simulation results show that Ar atom motion in the (100) plane is initiated by the electronic transition and that only those Ar atoms oscillate coherently with an ∼500 fs period which are essentially decoupled from the molecular vibration. Their phase and time evolution are in good agreement with the experimentally observed oscillation, supporting the assignment as a displacive excitation of coherent phonons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The previously developed instanton theory [G. V. Mil’nikov and H. Nakamura, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 124311 (2005)] is applied to the calculation of vibrationally assisted tunneling splitting of the deuterated formic acid dimer (DCOOH)2 with all the degrees of freedom taken into account. The ground-state tunnel splitting is determined by the density-functional theory combined with coupled cluster level of quantum chemistry to be 0.0038 cm-1 which is comparable to the experimental value of 0.0029 cm-1. Further, the tunnel splittings of fundamental excitations are estimated for frequencies below 300 cm-1. In this energy range it is found that the excitation modes may either enhance or suppress tunneling as compared to the ground state. For the higher-frequency modes a rapid growth of the tunnel splitting is observed. At frequencies above 1000 cm-1 the semiclassical solution becomes unstable and no reliable tunneling splittings can be obtained. This is in vast contrast to the adiabatic approximation to the instanton theory in which the tunnel splittings can be retrieved up to 3000 cm-1. We discuss this disparity from the viewpoint of the multidimensional character of tunneling in hydrogen bonds and the adiabatic approximation is concluded to be inaccurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dissipative bistable system presents the simplest model to describe condensed phase reaction dynamics. Using a quantum master equation approach to calculate multitime dipole correlation functions we demonstrate how the dissipative dynamics can be characterized by time-resolved third-order infrared spectroscopy. Thereby we incorporate bilinear and linear-quadratic systembath interaction into the Redfield relaxation tensor. Investigating equilibrium and nonequilibrium initial conditions for a symmetric system it is shown that bath-induced coherence transfer can have a dramatic influence on the two-dimensional signals. This occurs when the inverse of the ground state tunneling splitting is of the order of the coherence transfer time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear and third-order polarizabilities of the light-harvesting antennae of photosynthetic bacteria and green plants are calculated using an equation of motion approach which maps the system onto a coupled set of anharmonic excitonic oscillators. The oscillator representation is shown to have several advantages over the traditional picture based on properties of individual global eigenstates of the aggregate; besides a considerable reduction of computational effort, the dynamics of excitations in the two-exciton band is conveniently analyzed in terms of single-exciton Green’s functions and the two-exciton scattering matrix. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The density matrix theory is utilized for the description of ultra fast optical properties and related vibrational wave packet dynamics of molecular systems in condensed media. As an example, optically induced vibrational wave packets in the so-called curve–crossing system are considered. Such a system goes beyond the standard treatment of optical phenomena since the vibrational wave packet moves in a double well potential and is subject to environmental influences like wave function dephasing and relaxation. The complete theoretical description has been carried out in a representation of the vibrational wave functions of the diabatic states which refer to the two coupled vibrational surfaces. Solving the corresponding density matrix equations by numerical methods allows us to incorporate the static coupling between the crossed surfaces in a nonperturbative manner. Standard projection operator technique is used to treat environmental contributions up to the second order. For the case of a bilinear coupling between the molecular system and the environment we determine the time development of an initially prepared Gaussian wave packet. Corresponding time-resolved spectra of a pump–probe configuration are also derived. The developed formalism is finally applied to the system of the coupled electronic states c’ 1Σ+u and b’ 1Σ+u of the N2 molecule. © 1994 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of cyclic systems with four equivalent potential minima is studied here from two different points of view. The solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation provides insight into the coherent wave packet motion. The resulting reaction mechanism involves relocalization between opposite, not neighboring potential minima. The inclusion of an environment within a density matrix description leads to dissipation and therefore to a transition from coherent to incoherent dynamics. The theoretical considerations are applied to a simple model of the cyclic motion of a proton in a molecular framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]