High-Resolution Laser Spectroscopy of the Ozone Molecule at the Dissociation Threshold

High-sensitivity spectra of the main ozone isotopologue were recorded using a cavity ring-down spectrometer in the region 7920–8670 cm−1, which covers the range up to the dissociation threshold and higher. A sensitivity on the order of 2 × 10−11 cm−1 has been attained, which makes it possible to detect high-energy combination rovibrational bands up to ten vibrational quanta in the electronic ground state. Line positions and intensities are measured for these bands. Hot vibronic bands of the 16O3 isotopologue formed by transitions from the (100) and (020) electronic ground state levels to the excited 3A2 triplet state were recorded for the first time providing new information about the dependence of predissociation broadening on rotational quantum numbers.