skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Rotational relaxation in molecular hydrogen and deuterium: Theory versus acoustic experiments

Journal Article · · Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4895398· OSTI ID:22308403
 [1]
  1. Physics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)

An explicit formulation of the rotational relaxation time in terms of state-to-state rate coefficients associated to inelastic collisions is reported. The state-to-state rates needed for the detailed interpretation of relaxation in H{sub 2} and D{sub 2}, including isotopic variant mixtures, have been calculated by solving the close-coupling Schrödinger equations using the H{sub 2}–H{sub 2} potential energy surface by Diep and Johnson [J. Chem. Phys. 112, 4465 (2000)]. Relaxation related quantities (rotational effective cross section, bulk viscosity, relaxation time, and collision number) calculated from first principles agree reasonably well with acoustic absorption experimental data on H{sub 2} and D{sub 2} between 30 and 293 K. This result confirms at once the proposed formulation, and the validation of the H{sub 2}–H{sub 2} potential energy surface employed, since no approximations have been introduced in the dynamics. Accordingly, the state-to-state rates derived from Diep and Johnson potential energy surface appear to be overestimated by up to 10% for H{sub 2}, and up to 30% for D{sub 2} at T = 300 K, showing a better agreement at lower temperatures.

OSTI ID:
22308403
Journal Information:
Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 141, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-9606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English