Astrophysically useful radiative transition parameters for the e 1Π–X 1Σ+ and 1Σ+–X 1Σ+ systems of zirconium oxide

Abstract

The zirconium oxide (ZrO) is well known for its astrophysical importance. The radiative transition parameters that include Franck-Condon (FC) factor, r-centroid, electronic transition moments, Einstein coefficient, band oscillator strengths, radiative life time and effective vibrational temperature have been estimated for e 1Π–X 1Σ+ and 1Σ+–X 1Σ+ band systems of 90ZrO molecule for the experimentally known vibrational levels using RKR potential energy curves. A reliable numerical integration method has been used to solve the radial Schrodinger equation for the vibrational wave functions of upper and lower electronic states based on the latest available spectroscopic data and known wavelengths. The estimated radiative transition parameters are tabulated. The effective vibrational temperatures of these band systems of 90ZrO molecule are found to be below 4200 K. Hence, the radiative transition parameters help us to ascertain the presence of 90ZrO molecule in the interstellar medium, S stars and sunspots.