A study on diffusion of H atoms in solid parahydrogen

Diffusion of hydrogen atoms in solid parahydrogen was investigated using high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. Hydrogen atoms were produced as by-products of a photoinduced reaction of nitric oxides embedded in solid parahydrogen. The diffusion of the hydrogen atoms is mainly terminated by the reaction H+NO–>HNO. The diffusion rate determined from the increase of the intensity of rotation-vibration transitions of HNO molecules was found to be two orders of magnitude larger than that determined by the self-recombination reaction of H+H–>H-2 in pure parahydrogen crystals. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.