EXAMINATION OF ROTATIONAL STRUCTURE, OMEGA-DOUBLING, AND PERTURBATIONS IN 12 LOW-LYING ELECTRONIC STATES OF SAMARIUM MONOXIDE

Previous analyses of 10 electronic transitions in the high-resolution laser excitation spectrum of samarium monoxide have been extended to include 13 new electronic transitions involving seven low lying and three upper states. A global least-squares fit to all 23 SmO transitions that have now been analyzed has yielded electronic term energies, rotational, and Ω-doubling constants for 12 low lying states. The term energies of these and two other states observed only in resolved fluorescence are compared and found to be in good agreement with those calculated from ligand field theory. The Ω doubling has been examined in detail in terms of interactions between Ω = 0, 1, and 2 states and has been compared with values computed from the ligand field eigenfunctions. This sensitive test of the eigenfunctions has shown that, except for the lowest states, the eigenfunctions need to be amended. © 1991.