F + H2 collisions in the presence of intense laser radiation: reactive and nonreactive processes

Abstract

Two sets of calculations are discussed for F + H₂ collisions occurring in the presence of intense laser radiation. The first set, based on a semiclassical theory whereby nuclear degrees of freedom are treated classically, considers collinear reactive collisions in the presence of the 1.06 µm line of a Nd-glass laser. For a high enough intensity the laser alters the vibrational distribution of the HF product. The second set, where all degrees of freedom are treated quantum mechanically, considers the quenching of fluorine in its excited spin–orbit state by three-dimensional (nonreactive) collisions with H₂ in the presence of a laser whose photon frequency is ≈408 cm^–1. For high enough intensity the laser substantially enhances the quenching cross-section.