Mass-Resolved Single-Photon VUV Laser Spectra of Xe2near Xe*5d[5/2]03and Xe*5d[3/2]011

Single-photon transitions of jet-cooled Xe 2 have been recorded using a vacuum ultraviolet laser operating between 82 386–82 587 cm −1 and 83 706–84 006 cm −1 . Molecular ions produced by (1 + 1′) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization and atomic fragment ions resulting from excited state predissociation were mass selected in a linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Subsequent vibrational analyses have led to molecular constants for two Rydberg states which dissociate to Xe( 1 S 0 ) + Xe*5 d [5/2] 0 3 and Xe( 1 S 0 ) +Xe*5 d [3/2] 0 1 , respectively. Excited state equilibrium bond length estimates from Franck–Condon factor calculations are also provided. Possible electronic symmetries for the excited states are proposed using angular momentum and long-range interaction theory arguments.