Observation of the weakly bound B(2s2p2 2D)–H2 complex by fluorescence depletion spectroscopy

Abstract

The fluorescence depletion method is used to observe electronic transitions in weakly bound complexes involving the B atom in the spectral range near the atomic 2s2p2 2D←2s22p 2P transition. The fluorescence depletion spectrum of the BNe C 2Δ, D 2Π←X 2Π transitions is compared with the previously reported fluorescence excitation spectrum [X. Yang, E. Hwang, and P. J. Dagdigian, J. Chem. Phys. 104, 599 (1996)]. This technique has also been employed to detect the corresponding electronic transitions in the B⋅⋅⋅H2 complex which cannot be detected by laser fluorescence excitation.