15min:

KANA TAKEMATSU, NATHAN EDDINGSAAS AND MITCHIO OKUMURA, Arthur Amos Noyes Laboratory of Chemical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 ; JOHN STANTON, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 .

Elucidation of the electronic states of the nitrate radical NO₃ remains an interesting puzzle for experimentalists and theorists alike. The A²E" state is Jahn-Teller active and is pseudo-Jahn-Teller coupled to the ground X²A₂' and excited B²E' states. Analysis of the vibronic-allowed A-X transition spectrum shows vibronic bands exhibiting both static and dynamic distortions depending on the vibrational level of the upper A state. In the E"xe'=a₁"+a₂"+e" manifold, only the a₁" levels are accessible under ambient temperature experiments. We have gained new insight into the A state by examining the hot bands of NO₃, as previously dark levels of the A state become accessible. We present analysis of our hot band spectrum along with calculations of the upper A state levels.