Preferential in-plane rotational excitation of H2O (001) by translational-to-vibrational transfer from 2.2 eV H atoms

Abstract
The translational‐to‐vibrational and rotational (T‐V,R) excitation of H2O with 2.2 eV hydrogen atoms is studied by time‐resolved Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. Up to 2900 cm−1 of rotational excitation is observed in (001), with a strong preference for in‐plane rather than out‐of‐plane rotation for J≥7, which implies a unique collision process leading to rotational alignment.