In this project in the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Stwalley will study the electronic spectroscopy of diatomic alkali molecules in "long range states" in which internuclear distances are larger than about 10 Angstroms. Knowledge of the energy levels in this region gives information about long-range potential energy curves, which is important for understanding photodissociation and associative ionization processes. Optical-optical double resonance (OODR) and All-Optical Triple Resonance (AOTR) will be used to study the spectroscopy and dynamics of these processes state selectively. %%% In the experiments being conducted in this project, lasers are used to determine various properties of diatomic molecules as well as to study light-induced processes in these two-atom molecules. Among the information to be gathered are data regarding photodissociation (bond-breaking induced by light) and associative ionization (bond-forming with attendant loss of an electron). Fundamental information such as this has impact on our understanding of a variety of areas, including atmospheric processes and materials processing using lasers or plasmas.
