Photodissociation spectroscopy of Cu3, Cu3Ar, and Cu3Kr

Abstract

The photodissociation spectra of the copper trimer and its argon and krypton adducts have been recorded in the visible. For Cu₃, we observe a number of resolved vibronic transitions to the blue of the Ã←X̃ origin at 539.8 nm in accord with the observations of Morse et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 79, 5316 (1983)]. By contrast, the spectra of Cu₃Ar and Cu₃Kr consist of continuous absorption bands with maxima at 516 and 517 nm, respectively. While the oscillator strengths of the Cu₃Ar and Cu₃Kr absorption bands are nearly an order of magnitude larger than that derived for Cu₃ from its photodissociation spectrum, they are in much closer agreement with the oscillator strength determined from the Cu₃ Ã→X̃ radiative lifetime.