HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF METHANOL-D-3 - ASSIGNMENTS AND PREDICTIONS OF OPTICALLY PUMPED FAR-INFRARED LASER LINES

The results of high-resolution Fourier-transform infrared and far-infr ared spectroscopic studies have been applied to the analysis and predi ction of optically pumped far-infrared laser emission for 11 transitio n systems of the CD3OH isotopomer of methanol. The assignments are sup ported by the formation of closed transition combination loops that co nfirm the spectroscopic assignments and yield calculated far-infrared laser wave numbers to the spectroscopic accuracy of order +/-0.0005 cm (-1). This represents a substantial improvement over customary wavelen gth measurements. Four of ther systems involve the strong asymmetry mi xing known to occur between K = 0 and K = 2 E-1 levels, which is discu ssed and partially analyzed. Several inconsistencies are noted between previous proposed assignments in the literature, which were based pri marily on calculated energies and infrared wave numbers, and our new s pectroscopic data. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.