BOUND-]FREE EMISSION-SPECTRA AND PHOTOASSOCIATION OF (CD2)-CD-114 AND (ZN2)-ZN-64

Structured bound-free emission spectra of Zn-64(2) and Cd-114(2) have been observed by photoassociating pairs of ground state atoms (ns2 1S0, n = 4 and 5 for Zn and Cd, respectively) at several discrete wavelengths in the 222-277 nm region. The observed fluorescence is attributed to B 1-SIGMA-u+ --> X 1-SIGMA-g+ transitions of the molecules where the bound excited state is correlated with np 1P1 + ns2 1S0 in the separated atom limit. The pressure dependence of the emission intensity demonstrates that the dominant 1-SIGMA-u+ production mechanism is photoassociation. Numerical, quantum mechanical simulations of the experimental spectra yield 1-SIGMA-u+ spectroscopic constants that are generally approximately 10% larger than ab initio values in the literature.