AN EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-CLASSICAL STUDY OF THE PRODUCT STATE-RESOLVED STEREODYNAMICS OF THE REACTION O(D-1(2))-2(V=0)-]OH(X(2)PI(3(H)2) V=0, N, F)+H/

The product state resolved dynamics of the photon initiated reaction N 2O + hv(193 nm) --> O(D-1(2)) + N-2, O(D-1(2)) + H-2(v = 0) --> OH(X(2 ) Pi(3/2); v = 0, N = 5, f) + H, conducted at 300 K and at a mean coll ision energy of 10 kJ mol(-1), have been studied experimentally and co mputationally. Product state-resolved differential cross-sections of t he scattered OH fragments have been probed through analysis of their p olarised, Doppler resolved laser induced fluoresence spectra and compa red with the predictions of quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) computatio ns conducted on the Schinke-Lester ab initio ground state surface (SL1 ). The experiments confirm the QCT prediction of strongly peaked backw ard scattering in the channels generating OH(v = 0, N = 5). The two in dividually probed Lambda-doublet components display identical angular distributions. Although most collision complexes are estimated to have lifetimes less than their mean rotational periods, the total differen tial cross-section, summed over all product channels, is predicted to display forward and backward peaks with a moderate bias in favour of b ackward scattering.