HIGHLY EXCITED ROTATIONAL STATES OF THE MEINEL SYSTEM OF OH

The OH infrared spectrum, produced in an inductively coupled plasma discharge, has been measured with a Fourier transform spectrometer between 1850 and 5768 cm-1. This source was chosen in order to study the high-rotational quantum number levels of the OH Meinel bands. Two bands in the Δv = 1 sequence were observed, and extended to high J values: the P branch of the 1-0 band was observed up to J = 27.5 and the R branch to 13.5, and the P branch of the 2-1 band was observed up to J = 25.5 and the R branch to 12.5. Nonperturbative rotational crossings were observed in both the 1-0 and 2-1 bands. A global nonlinear least-squares fit of the 1-0 and 2-1 bands yielded equilibrium molecular parameters with a standard deviation of 0.0024cm-1.