PHOTOIONIZATION ELECTRONIC SPECTROSCOPY OF AIOH

Abstract

Two electronic states of AlOH are observed in the uv near 250nm. The species is produced by laser vaporization (308nm) in a seeded supersonic expansion. Vibrational progressions in these states are probed by resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy. Stretching $(825cm^{-1})$ and bending $(654cm^{-1})$ modes are observed in both states indicating a significant change in these coordinates from the ground state. The data is indicative of a transition from a linear or quasi-linear ground state to a bent excited state. These observations are consistent with the ab initio computations of Schaefer and coworkers.