ELECTRONIC SPECTRA OF NICKEL MONOXIDE

$^{a}$R. W. B. Pearse and A. G. Gaydon, The Identification of Molecular Spectra, Chapman and Hall, London (1965).Author Institution: Departments of Chemistry and Physics \& Astronomy, University of VictoriaNickel monoxide remains one of the spectroscopically least well characterized of first row transition metal monoxides. Spectra of NiO have been recorded in the 425 - 480nm region following the reaction of a laser-ablated nickel metal plasma with traces of $O_{2}$ doped in helium. Eighteen bands have been observed in laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), the majority of which belong to systems classified by $Pearse and Gaydo^{a}$ as VI and VII. The isotopomers $^{58}NiO$ and $^{60}NiO$ are seen in natural abundance and isotope shifts and rotational constants help to establish assignments. Dispersed fluorescence measurements have been made using excitation corresponding to strong LIF features. No low-lying excited electronic states have been detected but the ground state vibrational manifold can be mapped up to $v = 9$