Predissociation Rates and Perturbations of the A, B, B', C, D and F States in NO Studied Using Time Resolved Spectroscopy

Radiative lifetimes of the A 2Σ+, B 2Π, B' 2Δ, C 2Π, D 2Σ+ and F 2Δ electronic states in NO have been measured at high spectral resolution using the High Frequency Deflection technique. Particular attention has been paid to levels in the vicinity of or above the first dissociation limit in order to search for predissociation effects. The well-known effect in the C state is confirmed, while new predissociations of the A and D states and their rates are established. An anomaly in the lifetime series (B', v = 0-5) at v = 4 is explained in terms of the B'(v = 4) ∼ F(v = 1) configuration interaction. The variation in the A-X transition moment has been measured and found to be substantially different from earlier estimates.