Abstract
The pure rotational spectrum of the FeF radical (X6Δi) has been measured in the laboratory using millimeter/submillimeter direct absorption techniques. FeF was created by the reaction of iron vapor, produced in a high-temperature Broida-type oven, and F2. Eleven rotational transitions in the frequency range 121-374 GHz were recorded in all six spin-orbit components. Lambda-type doubling was resolved in the Ω2 = 3/2, 1/2, and -1/2 sublevels, and hyperfine structure, arising from the fluorine nuclear spin, was observed in all spin-orbit ladders. The data were successfully analyzed using a 6Δ Hamiltonian and rotational, spin-orbit, spin-spin, lambda-doubling, and hyperfine parameters were determined. The observation of A1F in the circumstellar shell of IRC+10216 suggests that other fluoride molecules such as FeF may be present in this object.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1237-1242 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 470 |
Issue number | 2 PART I |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- ISM: Molecules
- Line: Identification
- Methods: Laboratory
- Molecular data
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science