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Huge efforts have recently been taken in the derivation of accurate compilations of rovibrational energies of water, one of the most important reference systems in spectroscopy. Such precision is desirable for all water isotopologues, although their investigation is challenged by hyperfine effects in their spectra. Frequency-comb locked noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical-heterodyne molecular spectroscopy (NICE-OHMS) allows for achieving high sensitivity, resolution, and accuracy. This technique has been employed to resolve the subtle hyperfine splittings of rovibrational transitions of H217O in the near-infrared region. Simulation and interpretation of the H217O saturation spectra have been supported by coupled-cluster calculations performed with large basis sets and accounting for high-level corrections. Experimental17O hyperfine parameters are found in excellent agreement with the corresponding computed values. The need of including small hyperfine effects in the analysis of H217O spectra has been demonstrated together with the ability of the computational strategy employed for providing quantitative predictions of the corresponding parameters.

© 2021 Author(s).Taking advantage of the extreme absolute accuracy, sensitivity, and resolution of noise-immune-cavity-enhanced optical-heterodyne-molecular spectroscopy (NICE-OHMS), a variant of frequency-comb-assisted Lamb-dip saturation-spectroscopy techniques, the rotational quantum-level structure of both nuclear-spin isomers of H218O is established with an average accuracy of 2.5 kHz. Altogether, 195 carefully selected rovibrational transitions are probed. The ultrahigh sensitivity of NICE-OHMS permits the observation of lines with room-temperature absorption intensities as low as 10−27 cm molecule−1, while the superb resolution enables the detection of a doublet with a separation of only 286(17) kHz. While the NICE-OHMS experiments are performed in the near-infrared window of 7000-7350 cm−1, the lines observed allow the determination of all the pure rotational energies of H218O corresponding to J values up to 8, where J is the total rotational quantum number. Both network and quantum theory have been employed to facilitate the measurement campaign and the full exploitation of the lines resolved. For example, to minimize the experimental effort, the transitions targeted for observation were selected via the spectroscopic-network-assisted precision spectroscopy (SNAPS) scheme built upon the extended Ritz principle, the theory of spectroscopic networks, and an underlying dataset of quantum chemical origin. To ensure the overall connection of the ultraprecise rovibrational lines for both nuclear-spin isomers of H218O, the NICE-OHMS transitions are augmented with six accurate microwave lines taken from the literature. To produce absolute ortho-H218O energies, the lowest ortho energy is determined to be 23.754 904 61(19) cm−1. A reference, benchmark-quality line list of 1546 transitions, deduced from the ultrahigh-accuracy energy values determined in this study, provides calibration standards for future high-resolution spectroscopic experiments between 0-1250 and 5900-8380 cm−1

A saturation spectroscopy measurement of the P(1) line of the ($2-0$) band in HD is performed in a sensitive cavity-enhanced optical setup involving frequency comb calibration. The spectral signature is that of a Lamb-peak, in agreement with a density-matrix model description involving 9 hyperfine components and 16 crossover resonances of $\Lambda$-type. Comparison of the experimental spectra with the simulations yields a rovibrational transition frequency at 209,784,242,007 (20) kHz. Agreement is found with a first principles calculation in the framework of non-adiabatic quantum electrodynamics within 2$\sigma$, where the combined uncertainty is fully determined by theory.

High-resolution coherent Raman spectroscopic measurements of all three tritium-containing molecular hydrogen isotopologues T$_2$, DT and HT were performed to determine the ground electronic state fundamental Q-branch ($v=0 \rightarrow 1, \Delta J = 0$) transition frequencies at accuracies of $0.0005$ cm$^{-1}$. An over hundred-fold improvement in accuracy over previous experiments allows the comparison with the latest ab initio calculations in the framework of Non-Adiabatic Perturbation Theory including nonrelativisitic, relativisitic and QED contributions. Excellent agreement is found between experiment and theory, thus providing a verification of the validity of the NAPT-framework for these tritiated species. While the transition frequencies were corrected for ac-Stark shifts, the contributions of non-resonant background as well as quantum interference effects between resonant features in the nonlinear spectroscopy were quantitatively investigated, also leading to corrections to the transition frequencies. Methods of saturated CARS with the observation of Lamb dips, as well as the use of continuous-wave radiation for the Stokes frequency were explored, that might pave the way for future higher-accuracy CARS measurements., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures

The saturation spectrum of the R(1) transition in the (2-0) band in hydrogen deuteride (HD) is found to exhibit a composite line shape, involving a Lamb-dip and a Lamb-peak. We propose an explanation for such behavior based on the effects of crossover resonances in the hyperfine substructure, which is made quantitative in a density matrix calculation. This resolves an outstanding discrepancy on the rovibrational R(1) transition frequency, which is now determined at 217,105,181,901 (50) kHz and in agreement with current theoretical calculations.

Frequency combs and cavity-enhanced optical techniques have revolutionized molecular spectroscopy: their combination allows recording saturated Doppler-free lines with ultrahigh precision. Network theory, based on the generalized Ritz principle, offers a powerful tool for the intelligent design and validation of such precision-spectroscopy experiments and the subsequent derivation of accurate energy differences. As a proof of concept, 156 carefully-selected near-infrared transitions are detected for H216O, a benchmark system of molecular spectroscopy, at kHz accuracy. These measurements, augmented with 28 extremely-accurate literature lines to ensure overall connectivity, allow the precise determination of the lowest ortho-H216O energy, now set at 23.794 361 22(25) cm−1, and 160 energy levels with similarly high accuracy. Based on the limited number of observed transitions, 1219 calibration-quality lines are obtained in a wide wavenumber interval, which can be used to improve spectroscopic databases and applied to frequency metrology, astrophysics, atmospheric sensing, and combustion chemistry., Precision-spectroscopy techniques can accurately measure lines in constrained frequency and intensity ranges. The authors propose a spectroscopic-network-assisted precision spectroscopy method by which transitions measured in a narrow range provide information in other, extended regions of the spectrum.