A wave packet Golden Rule treatment of vibrational predissociation

Effective Phase Space Representation of the Quantum Dynamics of Vibrational Predissociation of the ArBr2(B,ν =16···25) Complex

We perform trajectory-based simulations of the vibrational predissociation of the ArBr₂(B,ν=16···25) van der Waals triatomic complex, constrained to the T-shape geometry. To this aim, we employ a 2-fold mapping of the quantum dynamics into classical-like dynamics in an extended phase space. The effective phase space comprises two distinct sets of degrees of freedom, namely a collection of coupled harmonic oscillators and an ensemble of quantum trajectories. The time evolution of these variables represent bound and unbound motions of the quantum system, respectively. Quantum trajectories are propagated within the interacting trajectory representation. The comparison between the lifetimes of the predissociating complexes computed using the trajectory-based approach and the experimental results available for the target systems indicates that the present method is competitive with wavepacket propagation techniques. The competition between several simultaneous vibrational relaxation pathways was found to have a direct impact on the time scales of vibrational predissociation. Likewise, the analysis of the time evolution of the trajectories reveals the existence of regions in the effective phase space where transitions to vibrational states of higher energy are more likely to occur. The size and location of these regions influence the transient vibrational distributions and therefore the computed lifetimes. Furthermore, the mechanisms of energy redistribution along the dissociation coordinate are analyzed.

Wavepacket golden rule treatment of interparticle Coulombic decay in paired quantum dots

The interparticle Coulombic decay process in paired quantum dots is studied by electron dynamics calculations. We consider a pair of Coulomb-coupled one-electron charged gallium arsenide quantum dots embedded in a nanowire. The two-electron decay process is approximately described by a single active electron model. Within this model, we employ the time-dependent wavepacket approach to the Fermi golden rule (introduced in the context of vibrational predissociation) to calculate autoionization rates, which are compared to exact rates obtained from fully correlated two-electron dynamics calculations. We found that the approximate decay rates agree well with the exact results in the limit of sufficiently separated quantum dots. Finally, we explore whether the short-range behavior of the new model can be further enhanced by the inclusion of local exchange effects by means of regularization of the Coulomb-potential based on a Jastrow-Slater wavefunction. The proposed method may open a route to study the interparticle Coulombic decay in more intricate systems, e.g., paired metal-nanoparticle-quantum dot systems.

Competition between adiabatic and nonadiabatic fragmentation pathways in the unimolecular decay of the ArI2(B) van der Waals complex

The competition between vibrational and electronic predissociations of the ArI2(B) van der Waals complex has been studied using several dynamical computational methods: exact quantum wave-packet propagation, time-dependent golden rule, and quasiclassical trajectory with quantum jumps model. Five electronic states are considered using recent three-dimensional coupled surfaces obtained with a perturbative diatoms-in-molecules method. Final vibrational and electronic populations, predissociation rates, and absorption spectra have been computed for I2(B,v=18-24)<--I2(X,v=0) excitations within the complex. The contribution of vibrational predissociation into the total decay oscillates as a function of vibrational excitation due to intramolecular vibrational relaxation in a sparse-intermediate regime, which induces irregular variations of the total decay rate. Franck-Condon oscillations control the branching ratios of the individual electronic predissociation channels. However, since these oscillations are out of phase as a function of vibrational excitation, they have limited effect on the oscillatory behavior of the total predissociation rate. Comparison between exact quantum and perturbative golden rule calculations shows that vibrational predissociation has some impact on the electronic predissociation process and affects the final electronic distributions. On the contrary, vibrational product distributions are not significantly affected by the electronic predissociation. A classical description of the ArI2 dynamics provides an averaged picture of the competing predissociation processes, being better adapted for treating intermolecular vibrational relaxation in the statistical limit.