The C-H stretch intensities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon cations. Origins and astrophysical implications

Infrared vibrational transition intensities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are known to depend strongly on the charge state. The detailed understanding of this effect for the C-H stretching modes has been approached by applying the quantum theory of atoms in molecules. Several benchmark calculations were undertaken in order to disentangle charge and size effects, from benzene (C(6)H(6)) up to the ovalene (C(32)H(14)) molecule. Upon decomposition of the dipole moment derivative along a C-H stretch into charge, charge flux, and dipole flux terms, it is found that it is the competition between the sum of the first two terms and the latter which drives the intensity, due to their opposing signs. Additionally, while the dipole flux term changes very little with size and charge, the other terms are strongly sensitive to these. This effect leads to a very weak C-H stretch intensity for cation sizes close to pyrene (C(16)H(10)) and comparable intensities between neutral and cations for the much larger ones. The astrophysical implications are discussed.