Electronically adiabatic process coupling

The electron capture processes are driven by non-adiabatic couplings between molecular states. All the non-zero radial and rotational eoupling matrix elements have therefore been evaluated from ab initio wavefunctions. 

In the excited state, the redistribution of electrons can lead to localized states with distinct fluorescence spectra that are known as intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) states. This process is dynamic and coupled with dielectric relaxations in the environment [16]. This and other solvent-controlled adiabatic excited-state reactions are discussed in [17], As shown in Fig. 1, the locally excited (LE) state is populated initially upon excitation, and the ICT state appears with time in a process coupled with the reorientation of surrounding dipoles. 

If the system under consideration possesses non-adiabatic electronic couplings within the excited-state vibronic manifold, the latter approach no longer is applicable. Recently, we have developed a simple model which allows for the explicit calculation of RF s for electronically nonadiabatic systems coupled to a heat bath [2]. The model is based on a phenomenological dissipation ansatz which describes the major bath-induced relaxation processes excited-state population decay, optical dephasing, and vibrational relaxation. The model has been applied for the calculation of the time and frequency gated spontaneous emission spectra for model nonadiabatic electron-transfer systems. The predictions of the model have been tested against more accurate calculations performed within the Redfield formalism [2]. It is natural, therefore, to extend this... 

Finally, it should be noted that the motion of the nuclei is not always confined to a single electronic state (as assumed in Eq. (1.5)). This situation can, e.g., occur when two potential energy surfaces come close together for some nuclear geometry. The dynamics of such processes are referred to as non-adiabatic. When several electronic states are in play, Eq. (1.10) must be replaced by a matrix equation with a dimension given by the number of electronic states (see Section 4.2). The equation contains coupling terms between the electronic states, implying that the nuclear motion in all the electronic states is coupled. 

This section briefly introduces the generalized coupled master equation within the Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic (BOA) approximation. In this case, the non-adiabatic processes are treated as the vibronic transitions between the vibronic manifolds. Three types of the rate constant are then introduced to specify the nature of the transitions depending on whether the electronically excited molecular system achieves its vibrational thermal equilibrium or not. The radiationless transitions can occur between two... 

Figure 2.1(a) above illustrates the potential energy surface for a diabatic electron transfer process. In a diabatic (or non-adiabatic) reaction, the electronic coupling between donor and acceptor is weak and, consequently, the probability of crossover between the product and reactant surfaces will be small, i.e. for diabatic electron transfer /cei, the electronic transmission factor, is transition state appears as a sharp cusp and the system must cross over the transition state onto a new potential energy surface in order for electron transfer to occur. Longdistance electron transfers tend to be diabatic because of the reduced coupling between donor and acceptor components this is discussed in more detail below in Section 2.2.2. 

An important factor is the electron coupling between the electrode metal and the redox species or between the two members of the redox couple. If this coupling is strong the reaction is called adiabatic, i.e., no thermal activation is involved. For instance, electrons are already delocalized between the metal and the redox molecule before the electron transfer therefore, in this case no discrete electron transfer occurs [see also -> adiabatic process (quantum mechanics), - nonadiabatic (diabatic) process]. 

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