Photodissociation of HgCl

Abstract
Transition moments and energies have been calculated for the XA, bound to continuum, transition in HgCl. The photodissociation cross section at the peak (∼20 000 cm−1 or 500 nm) is 1.2×10−18 cm2 at 600 K. The laser energy 17 921 cm−1 or 558 nm) for the BX transition is close to the peak energy, and a significant absorption will result from a buildup in the concentration of X state HgCl in the course of exciting the laser media. This absorption is suggested as an explanation for the low extraction efficiencies observed for HgCl lasers.