ACS symposium series
Variations on the Theme of Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passagr: Control of Chemical Reactions
Suhail P. Shah, Vandana Kurkal, Stuart A. Rice
Abstract
We describe the exploitation of adiabatic transfer of population between selected states of a molecule as a means for the control of product selectivity in a branching unimolecular reaction. The particular procedures employed to achieve that adiabatic transfer of population depend on the character of the spectrum of states of the molecule; the ones we consider are either extensions of, or are illuminated by, the STIRAP method. The results of studies of efficient selective population of one of a pair of nearly degenerate states in the thiophosgene molecule, and of efficient promotion of the HCN → CNH isomerization reaction, are reported. In the former case the adiabatic population transfer is achieved by use of the Kobrak-Rice extended STIRAP method, while in the latter case it is achieved by use of consecutive STIRAP processes. In both cases the efficiency of selective population transfer is shown to be insensitive to radiative