Quasiclassical trajectory studies of rigid rotor–rigid surface scattering. I. Flat surface

Rotationally inelastic transition intensities are calculated for a model N2 rigid rotor–rigid flat surface at initial collision energies of 104 and 3800 meV and for many initial beam orientations. The interaction potential is a Morse function modulated by a term which depends on the rotor orientation angle. The calculations are based on the quasiclassical trajectory method and a distorted trajectory perturbation theory. At the low collision energy the rotational excitation is mediated by the attractive part of the potential and by the repulsive part at high energies. The collision dynamics is direct in both energy regimes, however, quite complicated in the former one. Rotational rainbows are clearly observed for the high energy collisions.