Abstract

Rotational transitions in a number of important stratospheric trace molecues can potentially be accurately measured by far infrared spectroscopy. HCl, OH, H₂O₂, HO₂ and HOCl have large rotational constants due to the reduced mass of hydrogen plus other, heavier, constituents. The polyatomics in this group are all nearly symmetric prolate tops (NSPTs) having strong Q branches (b-type selection rules, ΔJ=0, ΔK=1) that are sufficiently compact to be seen as relatively sharp features in atmospheric spectra. All the molecules are characterized by reasonably large dipole moments (μ_b for the NSPTs) and small partition functions, if we consider only partitioning among the K_i for the NSPTs.

© 1980 Optical Society of America