Rotational energy selection rules

Miiller-Dethlefs K (1991) Zero kinetic energy electron spectroscopy of molecules - rotational symmetry selection rules and intensities. Journal of Chemical Physics 95 4821-4839. 

If the experunental technique has sufficient resolution, and if the molecule is fairly light, the vibronic bands discussed above will be found to have a fine structure due to transitions among rotational levels in the two states. Even when the individual rotational lines caimot be resolved, the overall shape of the vibronic band will be related to the rotational structure and its analysis may help in identifying the vibronic symmetry. The analysis of the band appearance depends on calculation of the rotational energy levels and on the selection rules and relative intensity of different rotational transitions. These both come from the fonn of the rotational wavefunctions and are treated by angnlar momentum theory. It is not possible to do more than mention a simple example here. 

These results provide so-called "selection rules" because they limit the L and M values of the final rotational state, given the L, M values of the initial rotational state. In the figure shown below, the L = L + 1 absorption spectrum of NO at 120 °K is given. The intensities of the various peaks are related to the populations of the lower-energy rotational states which are, in turn, proportional to (2 L + 1) exp(- L (L +1) h /STi IkT). Also included in the intensities are so-called line strength factors that are proportional to the squares of the quantities ... 

Figure 6.7(a) illustrates the rotational energy levels associated with two vibrational levels u (upper) and il (lower) between which a vibrational transition is allowed by the Au = 1 selection rule. The rotational selection rule governing transitions between the two stacks of levels is... 

Atomic spectra are much simpler than the corresponding molecular spectra, because there are no vibrational and rotational states. Moreover, spectral transitions in absorption or emission are not possible between all the numerous energy levels of an atom, but only according to selection rules. As a result, emission spectra are rather simple, with up to a few hundred lines. For example, absorption and emission spectra for sodium consist of some 40 peaks for elements with several outer electrons, absorption spectra may be much more complex and consist of hundreds of peaks. 

The selection rule for rotational Raman transitions are AJ = 2. This result relates to the involvement of two photons, each with angular momentum h, in the scattering process. Also allowed is A J = 0, but since such a transition implies zero change in energy it represents Raleigh scattering only. 

Both infrared and Raman spectra are concerned with measuring molecular vibration and rotational energy changes. However, the selection rules for Raman spectroscopy are very different from those of infrared - a change of polarisability... 

Figure 3.3 shows some of these possible transitions for HCI. Those with A7 = +1 are known as the R branch and occur at the high-energy side of the hypothetical transition At = 1, A7 = 0 (this is not allowed because of the selection rule, A7 = +1). Those with A7 = — 1 on the low-frequency side of the hypothetical transition form the P branch. Figure 3.4 shows the absorption spectrum of HCI at room temperature, with the rotational transitions responsible for each line. The relative intensities of the lines reflect the relative populations of the absorbing rotational levels the peaks are doublets due to the separate absorptions of the two chlorine isotopes, that is, H35C1 and H37C1, which have different reduced masses and hence values of the rotational constant B. 

Because the wave functions are the spherical harmonics, each rotational level is (27 + 1)-fold degenerate (over the quantum number m) note that the lowest rotational level has a rotational energy of zero, consistent with the earlier statement that the total energy associated with this level is just the electronic energy of the equilibrium structure. Selection rules dictate that transitions occur only between adjacent levels, i.e., A7 = 1 (see Section 14.5), in which case the energy change observed for transition from level 7 to level 7 + 1 is... 

The strength or intensity of absorption is related to the dipole strength of transition D or square of the transition moment integral M m , and is pressed in terms of oscillator strength / or integrated molar extinction jfe Jv. A transition with /= 1, is known as totally allowed transition. But the transitions between all the electronic, vibrational or rotational states are not equally permitted. Some are forbidden which can become allowed under certain conditions and then appear as weak absorption bands. The rules which govern such transitions are known as selection rules. For atomic energy levels, these selection rules have been empirically obtained from a comparison between the number of lines theoretically... 

A spherical top is a special case of a symmetric top the rotational energy depends only on 7, and the J selection rule for the vibration-rotation transitions is the same as for symmetric tops ... 

A number of techniques have been used previously for the study of state-selected ion-molecule reactions. In particular, the use of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) [21] and threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) [22] has allowed the detailed study of effects of vibrational state selection of ions on reaction cross sections. Neither of these methods, however, are intrinsically capable of complete selection of the rotational states of the molecular ions. The TPEPICO technique or related methods do not have sufficient electron energy resolution to achieve this, while REMPI methods are dependent on the selection rules for angular momentum transfer when a well-selected intermediate rotational state is ionized in the most favorable cases only a partial selection of a few ionic rotational states is achieved [23], There can also be problems in REMPI state-selective experiments with vibrational contamination, because the vibrational selectivity is dependent on a combination of energetic restrictions and Franck-Condon factors. 

This is in accord with the spectroscopic selection rules, derived from theoretical arguments, that predict which transitions between rotational and vibrational energy levels are allowed and which are forbidden. ... 

Figure 8.1. Rotation inversion energy levels and allowed transitions of the free NH3 molecule. The selection rules are A7 =...

Any molecule with a permanent electric dipole moment can interact with an electromagnetic field and increase its rotational energy by absorbing photons. Measuring the separation between rotational levels (for example, by applying a microwave field which can cause transitions between states with different values of /) let us measure the bond length. The selection rule is A/ = +1—the rotational quantum number can only increase by one. So the allowed transition energies are... 

Jeyes, S.R., McCaffery, A.J., Rowe, M.D. and Kato, H. (1977). Selection rules for collisional energy transfer in homonuclear diatomics. Rotationally inelastic collisions, Chem. Phys. Lett., 48, 91-94. 

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