AB INITIO AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF ISOMERISM IN He-$CH_{3}X$ COMPLEXES
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Abstract
The existence of multiple minima on the intermolecular potential energy surface of rare gas-molecule complexes appears quite general. Localization of the rare gas atom in the various potential energy minima results in several ``isomeric'' forms of a single complex. Studying these isomers provides detailed information about a much larger portion of the potential energy surface than can be gained through the study of the ground state. We find He-molecule complexes particularly advantageous for the study of this problem. The weak He-molecule interaction energy and the low mass of the helium atom combine to make the zero point energy an appreciable fraction of the total well depth, and this leads to several low-lying states that are separated by energies in the microwave to millimeter-wave region. Although the states are high up on the potential surface, they do tend to show localization in the various potential energy minima. We present a combined ab initio and experimental study of
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Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, Harvard University