Independent Activities Period (IAP) January 2005

Breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer Approximation in Diatomic Molecules

Prof. Robert Field

January 3 - 7
9 AM - 10:30 AM, MIT Room 6-233

A lecture series on photofragmentation dynamics in diatomic molecules. The first lecture will introduce the terms in the Hamiltonian. Especially troublesome are the Born-Oppenheimer breakdown terms, that “cause” all intramolecular dynamics. Subsequent lectures include topics: perturbations, autoionization, predissociation, semiclassical calculations of vibrational overlap integrals, wavepacket dynamics, and the Landau-Zener picture of electron transitions induced by crossing potential curves.

No enrollment limit, no advance signup. Participants welcome at individual sessions of this series. Prereq: 5.61 or equivalent and an interest in molecular dynamics. Further information: Robert Field, MIT 6-219, 617-253-1489, rwfield@mit.edu or http://web.mit.edu/iap.

1. January 3, Monday
Introduction to the spectroscopic effective Hammilton

2. January 4, Tuesday
Spectroscopic pertubations, predissociations, and autoionization

3. January 5, Wednesday
Semiclassical methods for calculating vibrational overlap integrals

4. January 7, Friday
Wavepackets and Landau-Zener Picture

Sponsored by the MIT Department of Chemistry and the G.R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory