15min:

KAN-SEN CHEN, SHIN-SHIN CHENG, JUN-MEI CHAO, ANTHONY J. MERER, YEN-CHU HSU, Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, P. O. Box 23-166, Taipei 10617, R. O. C..

The degree of polarization of the laser-induced fluoresence of the Ã-X system of the C₃-Ar and C₃-Kr van der Waals complexes was determined and has been used to probe the orientation of the transition dipole of C₃ with respect to the principal axis of each complex. The fluorescence polarization was measured near the 2^2-₀, 2²⁺₀, 1¹₀ and 2¹⁺₀3¹₀ bands of C₃ under supersonic expansion conditions. The results of polarization measurements of several van der Waals spectral features will be compared with those of the associated R(0) lines of free C₃. The effect of partial saturation on the fluorescence polarization measurements will be discussed.