Molecular Spectroscopy And Quantum Dynamics

Molecular Spectroscopy and Quantum Dynamics, an exciting new work edited by Professors Martin Quack and Roberto Marquardt, contains comprehensive information on the current state-of-the-art experimental and theoretical methods and techniques used to unravel ultra-fast phenomena in atoms, molecules and condensed matter, along with future perspectives on the field. Contains new insights into the quantum dynamics and spectroscopy of electronic and nuclear motion Presents the most recent developments in the detection and interpretation of ultra-fast phenomena Includes a discussion of the importance of these phenomena for the understanding of chemical reaction dynamics and kinetics in relation to molecular spectra and structure

This book focuses on current applications of molecular quantum dynamics. Examples from all main subjects in the field, presented by the internationally renowned experts, illustrate the importance of the domain. Recent success in helping to understand experimental observations in fields like heterogeneous catalysis, photochemistry, reactive scattering, optical spectroscopy, or femto- and attosecond chemistry and spectroscopy underline that nuclear quantum mechanical effects affect many areas of chemical and physical research. In contrast to standard quantum chemistry calculations, where the nuclei are treated classically, molecular quantum dynamics can cover quantum mechanical effects in their motion. Many examples, ranging from fundamental to applied problems, are known today that are impacted by nuclear quantum mechanical effects, including phenomena like tunneling, zero point energy effects, or non-adiabatic transitions. Being important to correctly understand many observations in chemical, organic and biological systems, or for the understanding of molecular spectroscopy, the range of applications covered in this book comprises broad areas of science: from astrophysics and the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, over elementary processes in chemistry, to biological processes (such as the first steps of photosynthesis or vision). Nevertheless, many researchers refrain from entering this domain. The book "Molecular Quantum Dynamics" offers them an accessible introduction. Although the calculation of large systems still presents a challenge - despite the considerable power of modern computers - new strategies have been developed to extend the studies to systems of increasing size. Such strategies are presented after a brief overview of the historical background. Strong emphasis is put on an educational presentation of the fundamental concepts, so that the reader can inform himself about the most important concepts, like eigenstates, wave packets, quantum mechanical resonances, entanglement, etc. The chosen examples highlight that high-level experiments and theory need to work closely together. This book thus is a must-read both for researchers working experimentally or theoretically in the concerned fields, and generally for anyone interested in the exciting world of molecular quantum dynamics.

A graduate-level text that examines the semiclassical approach to quantum mechanics Physical systems have been traditionally described in terms of either classical or quantum mechanics. But in recent years, semiclassical methods have developed rapidly, providing deep physical insight and computational tools for quantum dynamics and spectroscopy. In this book, Eric Heller introduces and develops this subject, demonstrating its power with many examples. In the first half of the book, Heller covers relevant aspects of classical mechanics, building from them the semiclassical way through the semiclassical limit of the Feynman path integral. The second half of the book applies this approach to various kinds of spectroscopy, such as molecular spectroscopy and electron imaging and quantum dynamical systems with an emphasis on tunneling. Adopting a distinctly time-dependent viewpoint, Heller argues for semiclassical theories from experimental and theoretical vantage points valuable to research in physics and chemistry. Featuring more than two hundred figures, the book provides a geometric, phase-space, and coordinate-space pathway to greater understanding. Filled with practical examples and applications, The Semiclassical Way to Dynamics and Spectroscopy is a comprehensive presentation of the tools necessary to successfully delve into this unique area of quantum mechanics. A comprehensive approach for using classical mechanics to do quantum mechanics More than two hundred figures to assist intuition Emphasis on semiclassical Green function and wave packet perspective, as well as tunneling and spectroscopy Chapters include quantum mechanics of classically chaotic systems, quantum scarring, and other modern dynamical topics

Advances in the Theory of Atomic and Molecular Systems, is a collection of contributions presenting recent theoretical and computational developments that provide new insights into the structure, properties, and behavior of a variety of atomic and molecular systems. This volume (subtitled “Dynamics, Spectroscopy, Clusters, and Nanostructures”) deals with the topics of “Quantum Dynamics and Spectroscopy”, “Complexes and Clusters”, and “Nanostructures and Complex Systems”. This volume is an invaluable resource for faculty, graduate students, and researchers interested in theoretical and computational chemistry and physics, physical chemistry and chemical physics, molecular spectroscopy, and related areas of science and engineering.

This textbook provides an overview of the basics of ultrafast molecular spectroscopy starting from time-dependent quantum mechanical perturbation theory in Hilbert space. It emphasizes the dynamics of nuclear and electronic motion, initiated and monitored by femtosecond laser pulses, which underlie the generation of nonlinear optical signals and inform their interpretation. Topics include short-pulse electronic absorption, the molecular adiabatic approximation, transient-absorption spectroscopy, vibrational adiabaticity during conformational change, femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy, multi-dimensional electronic spectroscopy and wave-packet interferometry, and two-dimensional wave-packet interferometry of electronic excitation-transfer systems. The treatment is based on time-dependent quantum mechanics as it is presented in graduate-level quantum mechanics courses. It is designed to be accessible to beginning practitioners of ultrafast spectroscopy and is meant to serve as a bridge to more advanced treatises and research publications. Numerous exercises are embedded in the text to explore and expand upon the physical ideas encountered in this important research field.

The main goal of this book is to give a systematic description of intramolecular quantum dynamics on the basis of only the symmetry principles. In this respect, the book has no analogs in the world literature. This approach does not introduce a configuration space of the molecular system in explicit form at all and, consequently, does not consider in explicit form the wave functions of the coordinates of this space. However, precisely because of its deep philosophical and technical difference this approach is the only possible for the solution of many topical problems of the internal dynamics of molecules. The obtained models lead to a simple, purely algebraic, scheme of calculation and are rigorous in the sense that their correctness is limited only to the correct choice of symmetry of the internal dynamics. The book is basically intended for scientists working in the field of molecular spectroscopy, quantum and structural chemistry. The reader is not supposed to know the apparatus of group representation theory needed for application of symmetry methods in quantum intramolecular dynamics since the first part of the book is dedicated to it.

Quantum phenomena are ubiquitous in complex molecular systems - as revealed by many experimental observations based upon ultrafast spectroscopic techniques - and yet remain a challenge for theoretical analysis. The present volume, based on a May 2005 workshop, examines and reviews the state-of-the-art in the development of new theoretical and computational methods to interpret the observed phenomena. Emphasis is on complex molecular processes involving surfaces, clusters, solute-solvent systems, materials, and biological systems. The research summarized in this book shows that much can be done to explain phenomena in systems excited by light or through atomic interactions. It demonstrates how to tackle the multidimensional dynamics arising from the atomic structure of a complex system, and addresses phenomena in condensed phases as well as phenomena at surfaces. The chapters on new methodological developments cover both phenomena in isolated systems, and phenomena which involve the statistical effects of an environment, such as fluctuations and dissipation. The methodology part explores new rigorous ways to formulate mixed quantum-classical dynamics in many dimensions, along with new ways to solve a many-atom Schroedinger equation, or the Liouville-von Neumann equation for the density operator, using trajectories and ideas related to hydrodynamics. Part I treats applications to complex molecular systems, and Part II covers new theoretical and computational methods