Identification of New Low-Lying Electronic States of the FeF Radical

Dispersed fluorescence studies on the ⁶Π-X⁶Δ and ⁶Φ−X⁶Δ systems of the FeF radical have resulted in the observation of vibrational progressions for transitions to the X⁶Δ state as well as at least two previously unobserved electronic states about 5000 cm⁻¹ above the ground state. The states are assigned as the A⁶Π and B⁶Σ⁺ electronic states. The spin components of both electronic states were found to be heavily perturbed resulting in uneven splittings between them. A third, weak series was also observed but could not be assigned. The (0,0) band of the ⁶Π_7/2−B⁶Σ⁺_5/2 transition at 398 nm was observed in absorption by laser induced fluorescence and its rotational structure was assigned. The spectra obtained were weak because of a poor population of the B⁶Σ⁺ state by the reaction used to form FeF. The levels were found to be markedly perturbed at high J values. Attempts were made to fit the data on the ⁶Π_7/2-B⁶Σ_5/2⁺ system to an effective Hamiltonian, but the presence of perturbations meant that the system is not well described by such a model.