MICROWAVE SPECTRUM OF $N_{2}H^{+}$ IN A GLOW DISCHARGE

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of WisconsinThe $ J = 0 {\rightarrow} 1$ transition of $N_{2}H^{+}$, seen previously in the interstellar medium by Turner, has been detected in a glow discharge in a nitrogen-hydrogen mixture at liquid nitrogen temperature. The pattern we observe is a triplet due to the quadrupole splitting of the outer nitrogen. We have also seen the same transition in the $^{15}{N_{2}H^{+}}$ species, where it is a singlet, and have thus determined the molecular structure. Progress on other isotopic variants of $N_{2}H^{+}$ will be reported