A NEW TRIPLET BAND SYSTEM OF C-3 - THE APPROXIMATELY-B 3-PI-G-A3-PI-U TRANSITION

A triplet band system of C3 has been observed for the first time in absorption with a distributed-feedback (DFB) diode laser spectrometer and in emission with a Fourier transform spectrometer at around 6500 cm-1. The band has been assigned to the b approximately 3-PI-g-a approximately 3-PI-u system, and the spectroscopic constants in both the upper and lower states have been determined. It is demonstrated that near-infrared DFB lasers are promising radiation sources for spectroscopy of unstable molecules.