Rotational state specific dissociation dynamics of D2O via the C̃(010) state: The effect of bending vibrational excitation.

The rotational state resolved photodissociation dynamics of D2O via the C̃(010) state has been investigated by using the D-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight technique combined with a tunable vacuum ultraviolet light source. The D-atom action spectrum of the C̃(010) ← X̃(000) band and the corresponding time-of-flight (TOF) spectra of D-atom photoproducts formed following the excitation of D2O to individual rotational transition have been measured. By comparison with the action spectrum of the C̃(000) ← X̃(000) band, the bending vibrational constant of the C̃ state for D2O can be determined to be v2 = 1041.37 ± 0.71 cm-1. From the TOF spectra, the product kinetic energy spectra, the vibrational state distributions of OD products, and the state resolved anisotropy parameters have been determined. The experimental results indicate a dramatic variation in the OD product state distributions for different rotational excitations. This illuminates that there are two distinctive coupling channels from the C̃(010) state to the low-lying electronic states: the homogeneous electronic coupling to the Ã1B1 state, resulting in vibrationally hot OD(X) products, and the Coriolis-type coupling to the B̃1A1 state, producing vibrationally cold but rotationally hot OD(X) and OD(A) products. Furthermore, the three-body dissociation channel is confirmed, which is attributed to the C̃ → 1A2 or C̃ → Ã pathway. In comparison with the previous results of D2O photolysis via the C̃(000) state, it is found that the v2 vibration of the parent molecule enhances both the vibrational and rotational excitations of OD products.