title: Fluctuating energy level Landau-Teller theory: application to the vibrational energy relaxation of liquid methanol.
abstract: State-to-state vibrational energy relaxation (VER) rates of the OH-stretch fundamental to select vibrational modes of liquid methanol are presented. The rates are calculated via a modified, fluctuating Landau-Teller (FLT) theory approach, which allow for dynamical vibrational energy level shifts. These rates are then compared to previously published results from Gulmen and Sibert [J. Phys. Chem. A 2004, 108, 2389] for the traditional Landau-Teller (LT) method as well as results calculated through time-dependent perturbation theory (TD), which naturally allow for the fluctuation. For the first time, this method is applied to a polyatomic molecular system, and the FLT theory greatly reduces the discrepancy between the LT and TD results or, at a minimum, is comparable to the LT approach with very little additional computational cost.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Theoretical Chemistry Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Tolga S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Gulmen
authors.forename: Edwin L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Sibert