An accidental resonance mediated predissociation pathway of water molecules excited to the electronic C[combining tilde] state

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2017 Nov 15;19(44):29795-29800. doi: 10.1039/c7cp06286a.

Abstract

The predissociation dynamics of water molecules in the electronic C[combining tilde] state were studied using the time-resolved photoelectron imaging method. Both vibrationless and vibrationally excited states in the C[combining tilde] electronic state were studied, with an emphasis on the vibrational excitation effects on the predissociation dynamics of the C[combining tilde] state. Besides the well-known rotationally and non-rotationally mediated predissociation pathways (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2008, 105, 19148), an accidental resonance mediated predissociation pathway for the first bending mode excited state in the C[combining tilde] electronic state of H2O is revealed, providing an excellent example of competition between non-adiabatic decay pathways involving at least five electronic states.