Angular Momentum Distribution and Emission Spectrum of OH (2Σ+) in the Photodissociation of H2O

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Abstract
When water vapor absorbs light of wavelength less than 1350 Å, an electronically excited OH fragment may be produced. This process has been observed, using wavelengths 1216, 1236, and 1302 Å, and the rotational and vibrational excitation of the product OH 2Σ+ has been determined from its emission spectrum. Most of the energy beyond that necessary to produce electronically excited OH goes into rotation of that molecule. Roughly one‐third of the OH molecules have one quantum of vibrational energy, and in these molecules too, the highest energetically allowed rotational levels are strongly populated. Knowledge of the energy and rotational angular momentum of the OH allows estimation of the kinetic energy and orbital angular momentum of the H as it flies away from the center of mass. This is interpreted in terms of two‐body forces at large distances, with the most probable dissociation corresponding to an orbiting interaction.

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