Abstract

Experiments utilizing inter-Rydberg spectroscopy to obtain laser excitation spectra of ${\mathrm{Ar}}_2{}^3{\Sigma }_u^{+}\left(1_u,0_u^{-}\right)$ formed in a pulsed corona discharge are described. By monitoring the atomic Ar fluorescence (4p → 4s) fed by the dissociation of higher-lying Rydberg states, high J(>30) rotational states have been resolved for several of the $A{\pi }_{u}5p\left(0_g^{-},1_g,2_g)\leftarrow A{\sigma }_{g}4s\left(1_u,0_u^{-}\right)\right)$ Rydberg band heads in the 497-530-nm region. Preliminary analysis of the rotational series shows that B_e for the upper and lower states generally agree with presently accepted values.

© 1988 Optical Society of America