High-resolution oscillator strength measurements of the CO B-1 Sigma(+)-X-1 Sigma(+) (0,0) and (1,0) vibrational bands

Large discrepancies in the published photoabsorption oscillator strengths o f the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) bands of CO hamper the interpretation of VUV astronomical observations. We report new oscillator strength measurements of the (0, 0) and (1, 0) bands of the CO B(1)Sigma(+)-X(1)Sigma(+) electron ic system determined from high-resolution (resolving power approximate to 7 50,000) absorption spectra recorded with a tunable VUV laser system. The in strumental bandwidth (similar to 0.14 cm(-1) FWHM) was significantly less t han the widths of the Doppler-broadened CO lines (similar to 0.20 cm(-1) FW HM). The B(0)-X(0) and B(1)-X(0) band oscillator strengths, derived from me asurements of the photoabsorption cross sections of 36 individual rotationa l lines, are (6.5 +/- 0.6) x 10(-3) and (1.1 +/- 0.1) x 10(-3), respectivel y. Our results are compared with of her recent laboratory measurements and with ab initio calculations.