Nuclear spatial delocalization silences electron density oscillations in 2-phenyl-ethyl-amine (PEA) and 2-phenylethyl-N,N-dimethylamine (PENNA) cations

Andrew J. Jenkins, Morgane Vacher, Michael J. Bearpark, Michael A. Robb
2016 Journal of Chemical Physics  
Torsional vibrational structure of the propene radical cation studied by high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy J. Chem. Phys. 135, 124310 (2011); 10.1063/1.3638182 High-resolution pulsed-field-ionization zero-kinetic-energy photoelectron spectroscopic study of the two lowest electronic states of the ozone cation O 3 + We simulate electron dynamics following ionization in 2-phenyl-ethyl-amine and 2-phenylethyl-N,N-dimethylamine as examples of systems where 3 coupled cationic states are
more » ... ved. We study two nuclear effects on electron dynamics: (i) coupled electron-nuclear motion and (ii) nuclear spatial delocalization as a result of the zero-point energy in the neutral molecule. Within the Ehrenfest approximation, our calculations show that the coherent electron dynamics in these molecules is not lost as a result of coupled electron-nuclear motion. In contrast, as a result of nuclear spatial delocalization, dephasing of the oscillations occurs on a time scale of only a few fs, long before any significant nuclear motion can occur. The results have been rationalized using a semi-quantitative model based upon the gradients of the potential energy surfaces. C 2016 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.
doi:10.1063/1.4943273 pmid:26979684 fatcat:syzob26aq5cplepraidxyq7siy