A NEAR-INFRARED FOURIER-TRANSFORM PLANAR SUPERSONIC JET SPECTROMETER FOR ROVIBRATIONAL STUDIES OF WEAKLY-BOUND DIMERS AND TRIMERS

A high-resolution FTIR supersonic slit jet absorption spectrometer is described for the investigation of weakly bound dimers and trimers in the near-infrared spectral region. The spectrometer is demonstrated to conservatively have a sensitivity of 6x10(8) molecules/cc/state and c an be operated at an apodized resolution of 0.004 cm(-1). To illustrat e the performance of the spectrometer, it has been applied to the rovi brational analysis of the band spectra of three weakly bound species i n the near infrared: nu(1) OC-HF, nu(1) N-2-HCl, and nu(5) ((HCl)-Cl-3 5)(3). The recorded spectra of these species are compared with corresp onding investigations using state-of-the-art tunable infrared laser su personic jet or molecular-beam spectrometers to illustrate the capabil ities and limitations of the current FTIR supersonic jet spectrometer. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.