HIGH RESOLUTION INFRARED - INFRARED DOUBLE RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY STUDY OF THE TRIPLET GROUND STATE OF THE RUBIDIUM DIMER

Abstract

This thesis consists of two parts. The first part is focused on the high resolution infrared-infrared (IRIR) double resonance spectroscopy study of the Rubidium dimer triplet ground state a3Σu+. We have observed fluorescence to this state for J=30, 50 and 70 rotational quantum numbers. We have used a perturbed pair of rovibrational levels in the A1Σu+ ~ b3Πu electronic states as an intermediate excitation step to the higher lying 23Πg state to get access by fluorescence decay to the a3Σu+ state. This allowed us to calculate the term values and the potential energy curve for the triplet ground state. The second part of the thesis is a computational study of lifetimes and transition dipole moment matrix elements for the sodium dimer ion pair states of 1Σg+ symmetry. These calculated parameters will be helpful for the design of a quadruple resonance based Autler-Townes spectroscopic probe of the transition dipole moments between these states and the A1Σu+ state. The calculated lifetime values compare well with results from literature when available. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through awards PHY 0245311, PHY 0555608 and PHY 0855502.