Semiclassical dynamics of the van der Waals states in O3(X 1A1)

We present the analysis and the semiclassical quantization of the van der Waals states of ozone in the ground electronic state X1A1. Progressions of these states dominate the spectrum of O3 at threshold. Periodic orbits are used to perform assignment and quantization of the vibrational states. Semiclassical quantization is numerically accurate despite the fact that the classical phase space is chaotic while the nodal patterns of the quantum mechanical wave functions are regular. The lifetimes of recombination of the van der Waals states into the "normal" ozone are also discussed.