Photodissociation spectroscopy of the Ca+-Ne complex

The weakly bound complex Ca+-Ne is produced by laser ablation in a pulsed n ozzle cluster source and low-lying electronic states are studied with reson ance enhanced photodissociation spectroscopy (REPD). The lowest band system correlates to the forbidden D-2 <--S-2 atomic transition. Sharp structure to the blue of this transition is assigned to the C (2)Sigma(+)<-- X (2)Sig ma(+) system. A vibrational progression (omega(e)(')=21.5 cm(-1)) and its c onvergence limit determine the excited-state dissociation energy of D-0(')= 64 +/- 5 cm(-1). Two electronic systems in the complex are derived from the P-2 <--S-2 atomic transition. A doublet progression to the red of the atom ic transition is assigned to the D (2)Pi(r)<-- X (2)Sigma(+) system. Extrap olation of the vibrational progression (omega(e)(')=134.5 cm(-1)) determine s an excited-state dissociation energy of D-0(')=875 +/- 100 cm(-1). A broa d continuum to the blue of the atomic transition is assigned to the E (2)Si gma(+)<-- X (2)Sigma(+) transition. Using the C (2)Sigma(+) excited-state c onvergence limit, the X (2)Sigma(+) ground-state dissociation energy is det ermined to be D-0(')=103 +/- 5 cm(-1). Rotational analyses from bands in bo th systems produce a ground-state bond length of r(0)(')=3.77 +/- 0.05 A. ( C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)00610-3].