Infrared-radio frequency double resonance observations of pure rotational Q-branch transitions of methane

The $\text{F}{}_2{}^{\mathrm{(2)}}\text{← F}{}_1{}^{\mathrm{(2)}}$ and $\text{F}{}_2{}^{\mathrm{(2)}}\text{← F}{}_1{}^{\mathrm{(1)}}$ transitions of the J = 7 levels of the ground state of CH₄ have been observed by infrared-radio frequency double resonance using the 3.39 μ HeNe laser line. The transition frequencies are 423.02 ± 0.02 MHz and 1246.55 ± 0.02 MHz, respectively. Using these frequencies and the splitting of the E and F₂ levels of the J = 2 state calculated from the molecular beam magnetic resonance spectra of Ozier, the centrifugal distortion constants are derived to be D_t = 132933 ± 10 Hz, H_4t = ? 16.65 ± 0.2 Hz, and H_6t = 10 ± 1 Hz. The J = 15 E⁽¹⁾ → E⁽²⁾ microwave transition is predicted as 14150 ± 9 MHz.