A REVIEW OF OPTICALLY PUMPED FAR-INFRARED LASER LINES FROM METHANOL ISOTOPES

The technique of optical pumping in polar molecules is the most effici ent for Far-Infrared (FIR) laser generation, providing also a versatil e and powerful tool for molecular spectroscopy in this spectral region . Methanol (CH3OH) and its isotopic varieties are the best media for o ptically pumped FIR laser, with over thousand lines observed, and the most widely used for investigations and applications. In this sense, i t is important organize and make available catalogues of FIR laser lin es as complete as possible. Since the last critical reviews of 1984 [1 ] on methanol and its isotopic varieties [2,3,4], over hundred papers have been published dealing with hundreds of new FIR laser lines. In 1 992 a review of FIR laser lines from CH3OH was presented [5]. In this communication we extend this work to the other methanol isotopes, name ly CH3OD, CD3OH, CD3OD, (CH3OH)-C-13, (CD3OH)-C-13, (CD3OD)-C-13, (CH3 OH)-O-18, CH2DOH, CHD2OH and CH2DOD.