FB04 15min9:21
TWO EXAMPLES OF LONG LIVED METASTABLE SYSTEMS: Ar-HCl (v=1) AND Ar-DF (v=1).

L. OUDEJANS, B. K. NAUTA AND R. E. MILLER, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

High resolution optothermal spectra have been obtained for the Ar-HCl (v=1) and Ar-DF (v=1) complexes. In both complexes, the vibrational predissociation lifetime is found to be greater than the time of flight of the complexes from the point of excitation by an F-center laser to the bolometer detector. This places a lower limit on the lifetime of 0.6~ms, in analogy to earlier reported Ar-HF (v=1) measurements. In addition to this, Stark spectra have been obtained for both complexes to determine the vibrational excited state dipole moments. These will be compared with the theoretical values