Publications by authors named "Robert J Le Roy"

We generate the equation of state (EOS) of solid parahydrogen (para-H) using a path-integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulation based on a highly accurate first-principles adiabatic hindered rotor potential energy curve for the para-H dimer. The EOS curves for the fcc and hcp structures of solid para-H near the equilibrium density show that the hcp structure is the more stable of the two, in agreement with experiment. To accurately reproduce the structural and energy properties of solid para-H, we eliminated by extrapolation the systematic errors associated with the choice of simulation parameters used in the PIMC calculation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Helium (^{4}He) nanodroplets provide a unique environment to observe the microscopic origins of superfluidity. The search for another superfluid substance has been an ongoing quest in the field of quantum fluids. Nearly two decades ago, experiments on doped parahydrogen (p-H_{2}) clusters embedded in ^{4}He droplets displayed anomalous spectroscopic signatures that were interpreted as a sign of the superfluidity of p-H_{2} [S.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

All available "conventional" absorption/emission spectroscopic data have been combined with photodissociation data and translational spectroscopy data in a global analysis that yields analytic potential energy and Born-Oppenheimer breakdown functions for the X(1)Σ(+) and A(1)Π states of CH(+) and its isotopologues that reproduce all of the data (on average) within their assigned uncertainties. For the ground X(1)Σ(+) state, this fully quantum mechanical "Direct-Potential-Fit" analysis yielded an improved empirical well depth of 𝔇e = 34 362.8(3) cm(-1) and equilibrium bond length of re = 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Raman vibrational shifts of small parahydrogen (pH2), orthodeuterium (oD2), and paratritium (pT2) clusters with respect to the free molecules are calculated by combining a first order perturbation theory approach with Langevin equation Path Integral Ground State (LePIGS) simulations [ J. Phys. Chem.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A direct-potential-fit analysis of all accessible data for the A (1)Σ(+) - X (1)Σ(+) system of NaH and NaD is used to determine analytic potential energy functions incorporating the correct theoretically predicted long-range behaviour. These potentials represent all of the data (on average) within the experimental uncertainties and yield an improved estimate for the ground-state NaH well depth of 𝔇e = 15797.4 (±4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We report a first-principles prediction of the Raman shifts of parahydrogen (pH2) clusters of sizes N = 4-19 and 33, based on path integral ground-state simulations with an ab initio potential energy surface. The Raman shifts are calculated, using perturbation theory, as the average of the difference-potential energy surface between the potential energy surfaces for vibrationally excited and ground-state parahydrogen monomers. The radial distribution of the clusters is used as a weight function in this average.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We have performed new direct-potential-fit (DPF) analyses of the rotationally resolved A (1)Π(u)(ν'=2,3;J' =1,2)→X(1)Σ(+)(g) (ν" ∈[0,11];J" ∈[0,3]) stimulated emission pumping spectra of Be2 [J. M. Merritt, V.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A five-dimensional ab initio potential energy surface (PES) for CO-H2 that explicitly incorporates dependence on the stretch coordinate of the CO monomer has been calculated. Analytic four-dimensional PESs are obtained by least-squares fitting vibrationally averaged interaction energies for  vCO = 0  and 1 to the Morse/long-range potential function form. These fits to 30,206 points have root-mean-square (RMS) deviations of 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

New high-resolution visible Fourier transform emission spectra of the A (2)Π → X (2)Σ(+) and B' (2)Σ(+) → X (2)Σ(+) systems of (24)MgD and of the B' (2)Σ(+) → X (2)Σ(+) systems of (25,26)MgD and (25,26)MgH have been combined with earlier results for (24)MgH in a multi-isotopologue direct-potential-fit analysis to yield improved analytic potential energy and Born-Oppenheimer breakdown functions for the ground X (2)Σ(+) state of MgH. Vibrational levels of the ground state of (24)MgD were observed up to v" = 15, which is bound by only 30.6 ± 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A six-dimensional ab initio potential energy surface (PES) for H2-N2O which explicitly includes the symmetric and asymmetric vibrational coordinates Q1 and Q3 of N2O is calculated at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles with noniterative inclusion of connected triple level using an augmented correlation-consistent polarized-valence quadruple-zeta basis set together with midpoint bond functions. Four-dimensional intermolecular PESs are then obtained by fitting the vibrationally averaged interactions energies for υ3(N2O) = 0 and 1 to the Morse∕long-range analytical form. In the fits, fixing the long-range parameters at theoretical values smoothes over the numerical noise in the ab initio points in the long-range region of the potential.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We investigate the analytical representation of potentials of mean force (pmf) using the Morse/long-range (MLR) potential approach. The MLR method had previously been used to represent potential energy surfaces, and we assess its validity for representing free-energies. The advantage of the approach is that the potential of mean force data only needs to be calculated in the short to medium range region of the reaction coordinate while the long range can be handled analytically.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A new potential energy surface for N₂O-He is developed using advanced computational methods, specifically CCSD(T) with a detailed basis set.
  • The surface takes into account the vibrational modes of N₂O due to their strong interactions, and a smoother global potential is created from the raw data.
  • By applying this potential, researchers use Monte Carlo simulations to find how the vibrational characteristics of the N₂O-He clusters change, achieving results that align well with experimental observations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Transformation of the conventional radial Schrödinger equation defined on the interval r ∈ [0, ∞) into an equivalent form defined on the finite domain y(r) ∈ [a, b]  allows the s-wave scattering length a(s) to be exactly expressed in terms of a logarithmic derivative of the transformed wave function φ(y) at the outer boundary point y = b, which corresponds to r = ∞. In particular, for an arbitrary interaction potential that dies off as fast as 1/r(n) for n ≥ 4, the modified wave function φ(y) obtained by using the two-parameter mapping function r(y; ̄r,β) = ̄r[1 + 1/β tan(πy/2)] has no singularities, and a(s) = ̄r[1 + 2/πβ 1/φ(1) dφ(1)/dy]. For a well bound potential with equilibrium distance r(e), the optimal mapping parameters are ̄r ≈ r(e) and β ≈ n/2 - 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inspired by a recent successful adiabatic-hindered-rotor treatment for parahydrogen pH(2) in CO(2)-H(2) complexes [H. Li, P.-N.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study predicts the infrared spectrum of CO(2)-(pH(2))(2) trimers using detailed calculations based on a well-defined potential energy surface, incorporating both pH(2)-CO(2) and pH(2)-pH(2) interactions.
  • The findings are compared to new experiments that identify 13 spectroscopic transitions of the trimers, incorporating a specialized technique to account for pH(2) rotation effects.
  • The results reveal differences in molecular arrangements and tunneling effects between pH(2) and He, showcasing notable discrepancies in torsional motion and vibrational level patterns due to varying interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clusters of para-hydrogen (pH₂) have been predicted to exhibit superfluid behavior, but direct observation of this phenomenon has been elusive. Combining experiments and theoretical simulations, we have determined the size evolution of the superfluid response of pH₂ clusters doped with carbon dioxide (CO₂). Reduction of the effective inertia is observed when the dopant is surrounded by the pH₂ solvent.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In para-H(2)-{molecule} interactions, the common assumption that para-H(2) may be treated as a spherical particle is often substantially in error. For example, quantum mechanical eigenvalues on a full four-dimensional (4D) potential energy surface for para H(2)-{linear molecule} species often differ substantially from those calculated from the corresponding two-dimensional (2D) surface obtained by performing a simple spherical average over the relative orientations of the H(2) moiety. However, use of an "adiabatic-hindered-rotor" approximation can yield an effective 2D surface whose spectroscopic properties are an order of magnitude closer to those yielded by a full 4D treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Five-dimensional ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs) for CO(2)-H(2) that explicitly incorporate dependence on the Q(3) asymmetric-stretch normal-mode coordinate of the CO(2) monomer and are parametrically dependent on its Q(1) symmetric-stretch coordinate have been calculated. Analytic four-dimensional PESs are obtained by least-squares fitting vibrationally averaged interaction energies for v(3)(CO(2)) = 0, and 1 to the Morse/long-range potential function form. These fits to 23,113 points have root-mean-square (rms) deviations of 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Extensions of the recently introduced "Morse/long-range" (MLR) potential function form allow a straightforward treatment of a molecular state for which the inverse-power long-range potential changes character with internuclear separation. Use of this function in a direct-potential-fit analysis of a combination of new fluorescence data for (7,7)Li(2), (6,6)Li(2), and (6,7)Li(2) with previously reported data for the A((1)Sigma(u) (+)) and X((1)Sigma(g) (+)) states yields accurate, fully analytic potentials for both states, together with the analytic "adiabatic" Born-Oppenheimer breakdown radial correction functions which are responsible for the difference between the interaction potentials and well depths for the different isotopologues. This analysis yields accurate well depths of D(e)=8516.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Numerical calculations show that four modern potential energy surfaces for N(2)-He all support 18 bound intermolecular states for the homonuclear isotopologues (14,14)N(2)-(4)He and (15,15)N(2)-(4)He, and 12 (or 13, for one surface) truly bound states for (14,15)N(2)-He. This contradicts a recent statement [Patel et al., J.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Path-integral Monte Carlo simulations of the nu(3) vibrational band origin frequency shifts of CO(2) in (He)(n) clusters for n=1-40 show that although only the asymmetric-stretch mode of CO(2) is being excited, the effect of the associated change in the average value of Q(1) cannot be ignored. When this fourth degree of freedom is taken into account, the resulting predicted vibrational frequency shifts are in excellent agreement with experiment across this whole range of cluster size. It is also shown that the quality of predictions obtained from simulations on a given potential energy surface can depend significantly on the choice of the analytic function used to represent it.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A three-dimensional, analytic potential energy surface for CO(2)-He that explicitly incorporates its dependence on the Q(3) asymmetric-stretch normal-mode coordinate of the CO(2) monomer has been obtained by least-squares fitting new ab initio interaction energies to a new three-dimensional Morse/Long-Range (3D-MLR) potential function form. This fit to 2832 points has a root-mean-square (RMS) deviation of 0.032 cm(-1) and requires only 55 parameters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

New high-resolution visible emission spectra of the MgH molecule have been recorded with high signal-to-noise ratios using a Fourier transform spectrometer. Many bands of the A 2Pi-->X 2Sigma+ and B' 2Sigma+-->X 2Sigma+ electronic transitions of 24MgH were analyzed; the new data span the v' = 0-3 levels of the A 2Pi and B'2Sigma+ excited states and the v''=0-11 levels of the X 2Sigma+ ground electronic state. The vibration-rotation energy levels of the perturbed A 2Pi and B' 2Sigma+ states were fitted as individual term values, while those of the X 2Sigma+ ground state were fitted using the direct-potential-fit approach.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High level ab initio methods have been used to calculate values of the quadrupole moment of the ground X (1)Sigmag+ state of N2 on a dense radial mesh spanning the interval of 0.8-12.1 a.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF