The High-Lying Vibrational Levels and Dissociation Energy of the a3Sigma+u State of 7Li2

Perturbation-facilitated optical-optical double resonance (PFOODR) has been used to access the 2(3)Pig state of 7Li2 via the excitation scheme using two single-mode tunable lasers. The selected () mixed level provides a gateway through which the triplet manifold can be accessed. Fluorescence from single rovibrational levels of 2(3)Pig to the state was detected at high resolution using a Fourier transform spectrometer. Transitions to v = 0-9 in the state were observed, covering the potential well almost to the dissociation limit. The data were analyzed using a near dissociation expansion (NDE) technique and the resulting vibrational and rotational parameters were used to calculate a new RKR potential curve which reproduced the observed energy levels to within a rms error of 0.02 cm-1. The following parameters were obtained for the state: D0 = 301.829 +/- 0.015 cm-1, De = 333.69 +/- 0.10 cm-1, Te = 8183.12 +/- 0.12 cm-1. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.