Quantum and classical studies of collisional excitation in H + CO and two other projects in theoretical chemical dynamics

This dissertation is a collection of four projects in theoretical chemical dynamics. In the first two projects collisional excitation in H + CO was studied using the quasiclassical trajectory method and the quantum infinite order sudden approximation (QIOS). Integral cross sections calculated using these methods were found to agree well with experimental and classical IOS results. The trajectory study was also used to examine the effects of potential energy surface features on the dynamics. Two surfaces were examined: a fitted surface based on ab initio points and a global ab initio surface. Next, the quasiclassical trajectory method was used to obtain cross sections and rate constants for O + H2 → OH + H and analogous deuterium isotope reactions. The results using the Johnson and Winter surface agreed well with those of transition state theory (TST) and experiment, except for O + HD → OH + D. TST rate constants were calculated using an ab initio surface. These results were in poor agreement with calculations using the Johnson and Winter surface. A theory of action-angle variables for coupled oscillator systems was developed in the fourth project