HYPERFINE A-DOUBLING TRANSITIONS OF THE $^{14}N^{16}O$ MOLECULE

Abstract

The radio-frequency of the $^{14}N^{16}O$ molecule in the $^{2}\Pi_{1/2}$ and $^{2}\Pi_{3/2}$ states was measured by the molecular beam electric resonance method. We measured the hyperfine A-doubling transitions in the $^{2}\Pi_{1/2}$ state for J=1/2, 3/2 and 5/2. We also measured a number of transitions for low J values (J=1/2, 5/2, 7/2 and 9/2) and all transitions for the higher J values (J=11/2, 13/2, 15/2 and 17/2) in the $^{2}\Pi_{3/2}$ state $Neumann^{1}$ has observed some of these transitions and has predicted a number of other transition frequencies. Our measured frequencies agree very well with those observed by Neumann. However, our observed values for the $^{2}\Pi_{1/2}$ state disagree markedly with Neumann’s predictions. A listing of the frequencies of transitions which might be of interest for astrophysical observations are given below. Degenerate perturbation theory of $Freed^{2}$ adapted for NO was used to calculate the molecular constants. In the calculations hyperfine effects are included up to fourth $order^{2}$. We obtain unexpectedly poor results when using a least squares fit of our observed frequencies. The fit becomes much better when we use the frequencies of the $2\Pi_{1/2}$ and of the $^{2}\Pi_{3/2}$ (including the J=1/2 of the $^{2}\Pi_{1/2}$) transitions separately. A discussion will be given of the experimental and theoretical results for the transition frequencies and for the molecular constants. Observed hyperfine A-doubling transitions in the J=3/2 and J=5/2 states of the $^{2}\Pi_{1/2}$ level. [FIGURE]