New measurements of the <i>a</i>3 Σ+<i>u</i> state of K2 and improved analysis of long-range dispersion and exchange interactions between two K atoms

Abstract

Resolved fluorescence from the K2 43 Σ+g state to the a3 Σ+u state has been measured by the perturbation-facilitated optical–optical double resonance (PFOODR) technique. Data have been fit to an improved set of molecular constants for the a3 Σ+u state. In particular, the new Te value for this state has been determined as 4197.935±0.047 cm−1, nearly 1.8 cm−1 higher than previously reported. By combining the new results for the a3 Σ+u state and the recent results for the ground X1 Σ+g state [J. Chem. Phys. 103, 3350 (1995)], we report in this paper an improved analysis of long-range dispersion and exchange interactions between two K atoms and of the X1 Σ+g and a3 Σ+u state dissociation energies De of 4450.674±0.072 cm−1 and 252.74±0.12 cm−1, respectively.