The high-resolution infrared spectrum of the polar N2O dimer has been observed in the region of the N2O nu(3) fundamental (similar to 1280 cm(-1)) using a tunable diode laser to probe a pulsed supersonic slit jet. About 120 rotational transitions were assigned in terms of an a/b hybrid band of a planar asymmetric top molecule with a slipped parallel structure. The vibrational origin was determined to be 1290.21 cm(-1), showing a blue shift of 5.31 cm(-1) with respect to the monomer band origin. In addition, the spectrum of the nonpolar isomer at 1279.71 cm(-1) has been remeasured and analyzed in improved detail. Small but widespread perturbations are noted in this band, which appear somewhat similar to larger effects observed previously in the nu(1) + nu(3) region for nonpolar (N2O)(2). (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.