Chaos introduces essential complications into semiclassical mechanics and the conventional wisdom maintains that the semiclassical time-dependent Green’s function fails to describe the quantum dynamics once the underlying chaos has had time to develop much finer structure than a quantum cell (h). We develop a method to evaluate the semiclassical approximation and test it for the first time under these circumstances. The comparison of the quantum and semiclassical dynamics of the stadium billiard shows remarkable agreement despite the very intricate underlying classical dynamics.

A new semiclassical propagator based on a local expansion of the potential up the wavepacket is proposed. Formulas for the propagator are derived and the implementation using grid and fast Fourier transform (FFT) methods is discussed. The semiclassical propagator can be improved up to the exact quantum mechanical limit by including anharmonic corrections using a split operator approach. Preliminary applications to the CH₃I photodissociation problem show the applicability and accuracy of the proposed method.

The effect of Born–Oppenheimer potential energy surface crossings on energy transfer in polyatomic molecules is investigated, classically and quantum mechanically. The hopping from one energy surface to another is enough to cause classical chaos, and strong mixing of the levels quantum mechanically. The r a t e of classical mixing determines the e x t e n t of quantum mixing, even though classical mixing is complete at long times.

We recently published a new method for the calculation of the time evolution of a wave function. We used an accurate approximate method to calculate the time propagator for a finite time Δt. Numerical calculations showed that this scheme works quite accurately, but that it is not more efficient than conventional methods. In this paper we propose to use a very fast and simple, but less accurate semiclassical method for the calculation of the time propagator. The approximation consists in the replacement of the Hamiltonian by a quadratic approximation around the center of the evolving wave packet called thawed Gaussian dynamics. We show by numerical examples in one and two dimensions that, despite this crude approximation, we achieve nearly the same accuracy as in the foregoing paper, but with an efficiency that is typically more than an order of magnitude better. We further show that the method is able to describe tunneling and long time dynamics (e.g., 1000 vibrational periods).

We present an approach to quantum dynamics, based entirely on Cartesian coordinates, which covers vibrational as well as rotational motion. The initial state is represented in terms of multidimensional Gaussian wave packets. Rotational adaptation to angular momentum eigenstates is done by using angular momentum projection operators. This gives an initial state represented as a weighted superposition of Gaussians with different average orientation in space. It is shown that the subsequent dynamics can be determined from the dynamics of Gaussians corresponding to just o n e of these orientations. An application to the 3Dphotodissociationdynamics of ICN is presented. All six degrees of freedom which describe the internal motion of the triatomic are included, the only approximation introduced in the present calculation being the thawed Gaussian wave packet approximation for the dynamics. The total absorptionspectrum out of vibrational–rotational eigenstates of ICN as well as fully resolved final product distributions are calculated.

We have recently published a new semiclassical method, generalized Gaussian wave packet dynamics, which extends Gaussian wave packet dynamics into complex phase space. Although we were able to give an accurate formulation of the method, we had at the time of writing that paper only an intuitive, heuristic understanding of the deeper causes which make the method work. A more mathematical understanding was needed. To close this gap we show in this paper the equivalence of the new method with a first order expansion of ℏ of the Schrödinger equation. We further prove that the new method is equivalent to the stationary phase approximation, using the usual WKB formula for the propagator. The latter equivalence enables us to show that all the symmetry properties of time‐dependent quantum mechanics also hold in the new semiclassical theory. Finally, we provide some elaboration of the method, and clarify several issues that were not discussed before. With this new insight we are able to formulate a simple rule for the calculation of semiclassical wave functions that contain contributions from more than one branch. This corrects for the divergence of semiclassical wave functions near caustics, a problem that we encountered in the preceding paper.

The low energy portion of the high resolution S ₁←S ₀fluorescence excitation spectrum of benzophenone recently reported by Holtzclaw and Pratt [J. Chem. Phys. 8 4, 4713 (1986)] is modeled here using a simple two‐degree‐of‐freedom vibrational Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian features a 1:1 nonlinear resonance between the two low frequency ring torsional modes of the molecule in its S ₁ state. Line positions and intensities of the two major spectral progressions are well reproduced using parameters similar to those derived from earlier matrix diagonalizations. The comparison of the theory and experiment results in a determination of the displacement of the S ₁surface relative to the ground electronic state along the symmetric torsional coordinate and permits a calculation of the excitation spectra of various isotopically substituted molecules not yet measured in the laboratory. A clear picture of the relationship between the dynamics on the S ₁surface and the spectroscopy of benzophenone is revealed by comparing a time domain analysis of the experimental data with wave packet dynamics on the model S ₁surface. This comparison provides new insight into energy flow in the isolated molecule and permits a qualitative simulation of the effects of collisional quenching on the fluorescencespectrum. We also discuss, using a classical trajectory analysis, the resonance dynamics of the torsional modes and note the existence of heretofore undetected local modes in the high resolution spectrum.

We study the quantum mechanics of a Hamiltonian system which is classically chaotic: the stadium billiard. We have examined many of the eigenstates of the stadium, up to about the 10,000th. Complex periodic orbits play an active role in shaping the eigenstates.

We discuss a semiclassical treatment of the rigid asymmetric rotor that delivers eigenenergies as well as eigenstates. We give possibilities to improve the semiclassical wave functions to any accuracy required. The method is devised so that inclusion of vibrations is possible. As no information about energetically lower states is included in the procedure, the calculation of highly excited states is easier than with conventional quantum methods. Calculation of quantum splitting from semiclassical eigenstates is treated. We give numerical examples for every procedure developed, so that the performance of the theory can be judged.

The time dependence of spontaneous emission from isolated, highly vibrationally excited molecules is studied from the point of view of the classical and semiclassical mechanics of dissipatively perturbed Hamiltonian systems. A correlation function expression for the time‐dependent emission spectrum serves as a starting point for quasiclassical approximations. These in turn lead to an investigation of the classical dynamics of model molecular systems in which small, energy‐nonconserving terms have been added to Hamilton’s equations. Numerical calculations show rich dynamical behavior which can be qualitatively understood in terms of the resonance structure of the unperturbed system. For example, trajectories tend to be captured by zones of nonlinear resonance. This ‘‘mode locking’’ produces a characteristic cleanup of an emission spectrum that otherwise is rather congested at these energies. The close connection between spectra and dynamics suggests that the classical dynamics of dissipatively perturbed systems may provide a useful language for interpreting radiative and condensed‐phase vibrational relaxation, and possibly some types of intramolecular relaxation phenomena as well.

We begin by discussing the properties expected of eigenfunctions of a classically chaotic Hamiltonian system, using simple Correspondence Principle arguments. The properties involve nodal surfaces, coordinate and momentum space amplitude distribution, and phase space distribution. The eigenfunctions of the stadium billiard are examined, and it is found that the periodic orbits of shortest periods and smallest stability parameter profoundly affect the eigenfunctions: “scars” of higher wavefunction density surround the special periodic orbits. Finally a theory is presented for the scars, showing that they must exist, and relating them directly to the special periodic orbits. These same periodic orbits cause level density fluctuations.

The relaxation of a primary system coupled weakly to a bath of environmental modes is examined from the standpoint of recent developments in the semiclassical theory of molecular bound states. Emphasis is placed upon highly excited, strongly nonlinear (but quasiperiodic) primary systems and zero temperature baths. The starting point for the analysis is a master equation for the populations of the eigenstates of the primary system. The correspondence principle provides semiclassical approximations to the transition rates, allowing quantum state populations to be calculated from classical trajectories. A second semiclassical approximation leads to an equation of motion for a probability density in the classical action variables. As h→0, this density agrees with the density generated by running an ensemble of damped classical trajectories and averaging out the angle variables; retention of terms of order h provides smoothed quantum corrections. Numerical examples of both semiclassical approximations are presented.

The combination of a b i n i t i o calculation of electronic wave functions with a wave packet calculation of the nuclear motion is used, within the Born–Oppenheimer approximation to compute the vibrational and electronic absorption of a polyatomic molecule. A particular virtue of this approach is that high as well as low temperature spectra are both calculable. This method is applied to C₂H, for which the complete active space self‐consistent field (CASSCF) method is used to determine full Born–Oppenheimer potential surfaces. Using the assumption that the A(²Π) ← X(²Σ⁺) absorption can be written as the sum of the A(² A’) ← X and A(² A‘) ← Xabsorptions, the spectra are determined to 60 cm^{− 1} resolution at a temperature of 3000 K. As a result of the large thermal bending amplitude at 3000 K, the calculated spectra are broad and have little resolved structure. Two bands are resolvable, one is due to the A(² A‘) ← Xabsorption and is centered at 5500 cm^{− 1}, while the other is due to A(² A’) ← Xabsorption and is centered at 9500 cm^{− 1}. The dramatic blue shift of the A(² A’) ← X band results from the combination of the large X state thermal bending amplitude and high bending frequency of the A(² A’) state. We also determine the X state pure vibrational absorptionspectrum and show it to be of much lower intensity than the pure electronic spectrum.

Exact eigenfunctions for a two‐dimensional rigid rotor are obtained using Gaussian wave packet dynamics. The wave functions are obtained by propagating, without approximation, an infinite set of Gaussian wave packets that collectively have the correct periodicity, being coherent states appropriate to this rotational problem. This result leads to a numerical method for the semiclassical calculation of rovibrational, molecular eignestates. Also, a simple, almost classical, approximation to full wave packet dynamics is shown to give exact results: this leads to an a p o s t e r i o r i justification of the De Leon–Heller spectral quantization method.

Flow in phase space is intimately related to the concept of ergodicity. An ergodic system will sample all regions of phase space democratically in the time average, subject only to known a priori constants of the motion. For convenience, we shall refer to the accessible phase space as the “energy shell.” This shell may have some thickness if a distribution of energies are initially populated An energy envelope is defined by the initial distribution of energy and the envelope plays a role both in classical and quantum phase Space flow, as discussed before and as will become evident in the theory and examples to follow.