Above Saddle-Point Regions of Order in a Sea of Chaos in the Vibrational Dynamics of KCN

The dynamical characteristics of a region of regular vibrational motion in the sea of chaos above the saddle point corresponding to the linear C–N–K configuration is examined in detail. To explain the origin of this regularity, the associated phase space structures were characterized using suitably defined Poincare surfaces of section, identifying the different resonances between the stretching and bending modes, as a function of excitation energy. The corresponding topology is elucidated by means of periodic orbit analysis.