State-to-state dynamics using dual molecular beam excitation difference spectroscopy

Abstract

The vibrationally resolved state-to-state kinetics of the molecular beam reaction Ba+HF→BaF+H has been investigated using a unique dual reaction differencing technique which is sensitive to 0.04 cm−1 Doppler shifts and allows detection of the full distribution of products from low fractionally excited reagents. Contrary to earlier results, BaF at low vibrational levels is found to dominate the product distribution in reaction proceeding from HF (v=1). The difference spectrum also reveals that the total reaction rate increases by a factor of three by vibrationally exciting the reagents.