Electronic spectroscopy of jet-cooled YbNH 3

We report the first spectroscopic study of a complex consisting of a rare earth atom in combination with ammonia. Using two-color resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy, the lowest energy electronic transition of YbNH 3 has been found in the near-infrared. The spectrum arises...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of chemical physics 2012-02, Vol.136 (6), p.064305-064305-6
Main Authors: Tonge, Nicola M., Rusher, Cassandra A., Bhalla, Nitika, Varriale, Luigi, Ellis, Andrew M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We report the first spectroscopic study of a complex consisting of a rare earth atom in combination with ammonia. Using two-color resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy, the lowest energy electronic transition of YbNH 3 has been found in the near-infrared. The spectrum arises from a spin-forbidden transition between the 1 A 1 ground electronic state and the lowest 3 E excited electronic state. The transition is metal centered and approximately correlates with the Yb 6 s 6 p 3 P ← 6 s 2 1 S transition. The observation of clear spin-orbit structure in the spectrum confirms the C 3v symmetry of YbNH 3 . Vibrational structure is also observed in the REMPI spectrum, which is dominated by excitation of the Yb-N stretching vibration.
ISSN:0021-9606
1089-7690
DOI:10.1063/1.3683220