William J. Meath

William J. Meath

Contact Information

Title: Professor Emeritus
E-mail: wmeath@uwo.ca

Research Areas

Theoretical Chemistry. Laser-molecule interactions. Molecular properties, intermolecular forces, and their additivity.

Traditional Research Division:
Theoretical Chemistry

Education

B.Sc., Carleton; Ph.D., Wisconsin

AWARDS

  • FCIC
  • Distinguished Research Professor
  • Festschrift: Special issue of the Journal of Molecular Structure (Theochem.) 591 (2002)
  • UWO Pleva Teaching Award
  • USC Teaching Honour Roll

RESEARCH

Current work involves studying the dynamical behaviour of the molecular states, and the related absorption spectra, associated with the interaction of one or several lasers with molecules. Of particular interest is the study of the effects of molecular structure, the polarizations, intensities, frequencies, phases, and durations and shapes of laser pulses, the time-delay between laser pulses, the life times of excited molecular states, and intermolecular forces, on single- and multi-photon transitions.

Also of interest are molecular properties, and their additivity, including dipole oscillator strength distributions, polarizabilities, dispersion interaction energies, and interaction parameters characterizing the penetration of matter by charged particles. Some of this information, together with intermolecular charge overlap and electron exchange information, is used to construct reliable intermolecular potential energy surfaces.

PUBLICATIONS

  • W.J. Meath, "Bloch-Siegert effects in two-photon excitations: Fixed laser-molecule configurations versus orientational averaging",  J. Chem. Phys. 149, 204114/1 -204114/9 (2018).

  • W.J. Meath, "On the optimization, and the intensity dependence, of the excitation rate for the absorption of two photons due to the direct permanent dipole moment excitation mechanism", American Institute of Physics Advances 6, 075202/1 - 075202/13 (2016).

  • W.J. Meath and B.N. Jagatap, "On the effects of permanent dipole moments in the simultaneous absorption of two photons: Full generalized rotating wave approximation versus analytical results", J. Chem.Phys.  139,144104/1 – 144104/12 (2013).

  • W.J. Meath and B.N. Jagatap, "On the effects of permanent dipole moments in two-photon molecular excitations: an analytic generalized rotating wave approximation treatment including both the direct permanent dipole and virtual state excitation mechanisms", J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 44, 205401/1- 205401/13 (2011).

  • A.K. Dham, G.C. McBane, F.R.W. McCourt and W.J. Meath, "An exchange – Coulomb model potential energy surface for the Ne-CO interaction. II. Molecular beam scattering and bulk gas phenomena in Ne-CO mixtures", J. Chem. Phys.  132, 024308/1 – 024308/18 (2010).