Physicists from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), together with colleagues from Braunschweig Technical University, conducted a unique study of silane molecules and its isotopes. As a result of their work, they were able to significantly improve the accuracy of measurements of the spectroscopic parameters of this compound.
New data on the vibrational structure and intramolecular potential function of the molecule were obtained with an accuracy ten times higher than existing scientific data. These parameters play a key role in solving many problems in the field of molecular physics, chemistry, and planetology.
The study will help to more accurately predict the composition of the atmosphere of gas planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, as well as their satellites. In addition, the results can improve the production technologies of high-purity semiconductors, which is important for electronics.
Scientists used two methods to obtain data about the molecule. The first method, "ab initio", is based on natural laws, but its results are significantly inferior to experimental data. The second method, semi-empirical, uses high-precision experimental data, but until recently did not have a sufficient base for application.
During the experiments, the researchers focused on three isotopes of silane with high symmetry. They applied a new analytical approach that allowed them to obtain spectroscopic data that surpassed previous results. As a result, a complete list of 6375 vibrational bands for three isotopes of silane was compiled, which is a significant achievement in this area.
The methods used in the study also made it possible to create symmetrized vibrational functions, which was previously difficult to implement for molecules with high symmetry. This opens up new opportunities for further research in the field of molecular dynamics and planetary science.
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