PREDISSOCIATION MECHANISM AND SPIN-ROTATION CONSTANT OF THE HCO $\tilde{B}^{2} A'$ STATE

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

1995

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Ohio State University

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Journal Issue

Abstract

Formyl radicals produced from photolysis of acetaldehyde at 310 nm were supersonically cooled and detected via the $\tilde{B}-\tilde{X}$ transition using the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique. Spectra at resolution $0.16 cm^{-1}$ and fluorescence lifetimes of HCO $\tilde{B} (0,0,0), (0,0,1)$ levels were measured. The observed lifetimes decrease rapidly with variation of the rotational quantum number $K_{a}$ from 0 to 2 but slowly with the rotational quantum number N from 0 to 8. Experimental data indicate that the $\tilde{B}$ state is coupled to a predissociating state via an $\alpha$-type Coriolis interaction, to account for the rotationally dependent lifetime for the low vibrational levels of the HCO $\tilde{B}$ state. Correction of the fluorescence quantum yield for individual rotational states is necessary to obtain accurate ground state populations by LIF when using the $\tilde{B}-\tilde{X}$ transitions. The intensity distribution of the two spin states observed implies a negative value of the spin-rotation parameter for the $\tilde{B}$ state, in contrast with the ground electronic state.

Description

Author Institution: National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30043, Republic of China

Keywords

Citation