Department of Molecular and Laser Physics, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Optoelectric Materials Science and Technology, Department of Physics, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China.
Science. 2020 Jul 17;369(6501):307-309. doi: 10.1126/science.aan2729.
Knowledge of rotational energy transfer (RET) involving carbon monoxide (CO) molecules is crucial for the interpretation of astrophysical data. As of now, our nearly perfect understanding of atom-molecule scattering shows that RET usually occurs by only a simple "bump" between partners. To advance molecular dynamics to the next step in complexity, we studied molecule-molecule scattering in great detail for collision between two CO molecules. Using advanced imaging methods and quasi-classical and fully quantum theory, we found that a synchronous movement can occur during CO-CO collisions, whereby a bump is followed by a move similar to a "do-si-do" in square dancing. This resulted in little angular deflection but high RET to both partners, a very unusual combination. The associated conditions suggest that this process can occur in other molecule-molecule systems.
对涉及一氧化碳（CO）分子的转动能量转移（RET）的了解对于天体物理数据的解释至关重要。到目前为止，我们对原子-分子散射的近乎完美的理解表明，RET 通常仅通过合作伙伴之间的简单“碰撞”发生。为了将分子动力学提升到下一个复杂程度，我们详细研究了两个 CO 分子之间的分子-分子散射。使用先进的成像方法和准经典和完全量子理论，我们发现 CO-CO 碰撞过程中可能会发生同步运动，其中碰撞后会发生类似于方步舞中的“do-si-do”的运动。这导致了很小的角度偏折，但却使两个合作伙伴的 RET 很高，这是一种非常不寻常的组合。相关条件表明，该过程可能发生在其他分子-分子系统中。
