Distorted-wave calculations for the three dimensional chemical reaction H + H2(v ≤ 2, j = 0) → H2(v′ ≤ 2, j′, mj) + H

Calculations of the vibrational-rotational product state population distributions and differential cross sections for the chemical reaction H + H2(v ≤ 2, j = 0) → H2(v′ ≤ 2, j′, mj) + H have been carried out on the Porter-Karplus potential energy surface. The vibrationally-adiabatic-distorted-wave (VADW) method has been used. The relative rotational product distributions, differential cross sections and the helicity mj, dependences of these quantities for the v = 0 reaction agree well with accurate close-coupling results. The absolute integral cross sections are considerably smaller than the accurate quantum values, however. The calculations for the v = 1 reaction agree with the findings of previous sudden quantum, limited close-coupling and quasiclassical theoretical studies and experiments that product H2(v′ = 1) is more likely to be produced than H2(v′ = 0). For the reaction with v = 2, it is found that at high translational energies product H2(v′ = 2) is favoured over H2(v′ = 1) or H2(v′ = 0). The VADW differential cross sections for the v = 1 and v = 2 reactions have a similar shape to those of the v = 0 reaction, with backward peaking when summed over all mj states. The relative rotational distributions for the v = 2, j = 0 → v′ = 2, j and v = 1, j = 0 → v′ = 1, j reactions are also similar to those obtained for the v = 0, j = 0 → v′ = 0, j reaction, with low rotational excitation. © 1980