Paper detail

Lifetimes and wave functions of ozone metastable vibrational states near the dissociation limit in full symmetry approach

Energies and lifetimes (widths) of vibrational states above the lowest dissociation limit of $^{16}$O$_3$ were determined using a previously-developed efficient approach, which combines hyperspherical coordinates and a complex absorbing potential. The calculations are based on a recently-computed potential energy surface of ozone determined with a spectroscopic accuracy [J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 139}, 134307 (2013)]. The effect of permutational symmetry on rovibrational dynamics and the density of resonance states in O$_3$ is discussed in detail. Correspondence between quantum numbers appropriate for short- and long-range parts of wave functions of the rovibrational continuum is established. It is shown, by symmetry arguments, that the allowed purely vibrational ($J=0$) levels of $^{16}$O$_3$ and $^{18}$O$_3$, both made of bosons with zero nuclear spin, cannot dissociate on the ground state potential energy surface. Energies and wave functions of bound states of the ozone isotopologue $^{16}$O$_3$ with rotational angular momentum $J=0$ and 1 up to the dissociation threshold were also computed. For bound levels, good agreement with experimental energies is found: The RMS deviation between observed and calculated vibrational energies is 1~\cm. Rotational constants were determined and used for a simple identification of vibrational modes of calculated levels.