The electronic spectrum of trans-stilbene in the energy
range up to 6 eV has been studied using
multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2).
The study includes a geometry determination
of the ground state. In all, 12 singlet and one triplet excited
states were studied. The calculated spectrum
makes it possible to assign the valence excited singlet states
corresponding to the three bands observed in the
low-energy region of the one-photon absorption spectrum. The most
intense feature of the calculated spectrum
corresponds to the 1Ag →
21Bu transition at 4.07 eV. The weakly
allowed 11Bu state was found 0.3
eV
below 21Bu. Transition to the
31Ag state, computed at 4.95 eV, is responsible
for the main band observed in
the two-photon absorption spectrum. This state has a large weight
(around 43%) of doubly excited
configurations. The first singlet−singlet Rydberg transition
(3s) appears at 5.33 eV and is weak.
Implications
of the present findings on the trans → cis photoisomerization process
in the singlet manifold are discussed.
A photoadibatic reaction involving the two lowest states of
Bu symmetry seems to be the most plausible
mechanism to explain the origin of the small barrier observed on the
S1 surface.
The overall contribution demonstrates that a combined analysis of high-level theoretical results and experimental data can be of great value to perform assignments of detected intermediates in a photocycle.
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