10min:
OBSERVATION OF AN UNGERADE RYDBERG STATE OF 7Li2.

A. J. ROSS, F. MARTIN AND A. ADOHI-KROU, Laboratoire de Spectrométrie Ionique et Moléculaire (UMR 5579 CNRS), Bâtiment A. Kastler, Université Lyon I, Domaine Scientifique de la Doua, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.

Some weak, collisionally induced transitions have been observed following excitation of the two lowest vibrational levels of the 5d~1 Pig state of 7Li2 (produced in a heatpipe source). The transitions were recorded in Fourier transform resolved fluorescence spectra in the near infrared (7900 - 8800 cm-1), at an instrumental resolution of 0.08 cm-1, and they have been assigned as transitions from a Rydberg 1 Piu state to v = 0, 1 and 2 of the 1~1 Deltag electronic state. It seems highly likely that the two upper state levels populated through the collisions are v = 0 and v~=~1 of a 1 Piu state which lies very close in energy to the 5d~1 Pig state. The energy transfer occurs to v = 0 of the 1 Piu state from v = 0 of the 5d~1 Pig state, and (at low J only) to v = 1 of the 1 Piu state from v = 1 of 5d~1 Pig. Six bands were analysed: 0-0, 0-1, 0-2, 1-0, 1-1 and 1-2.

The rotational constants of this 1 Piu state are too large to be high levels of the other ungerade Rydberg state of Li2 documented in the literature, namely the D~1 Piu state studied by Theiss and co-workers. They are however sufficiently close to those of the 5d~1 Pig state (Te = 37257.7 cm-1, Be = 0.48 cm-1, \mathrm omegae = 237.4 cm-1) given in earlier work, that we suggest the Rydberg state is most likely to correlate at long range with Li(2s) + Li(5p) atoms.

Principal spectroscopic constants are T0 = 37390.198(5) cm-1, B0 = 0.50627(12) cm-1, DeltaGv = 262.4 cm-1.