Abstract
First-principles computations and experimental measurements of transition energies are carried out for vibrational overtone lines of the triatomic hydrogen ion corresponding to floppy vibrations high above the barrier to linearity. Action spectroscopy is improved to detect extremely weak visible-light spectral lines on cold trapped ions. A highly accurate potential surface is obtained from variational calculations using explicitly correlated Gaussian wave function expansions. After nonadiabatic corrections, the floppy vibrational spectrum is reproduced at the level up to .
- Received 29 August 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.023002
© 2012 American Physical Society