Spectral Properties of Hydrogen Fluoride in the Discrete and Continuum Regions (Rydberg Series in Hydrogen Fluoride)

Abstract

Hydrogen fluoride has been observed in a number of astrophysical environments, being sizably abundant in some of them, which adds to the interest in the processes in which it participates. The processes that have called for our attention are those that involve the interaction of photons or electrons with HF, as they are largely responsible for the evolution of chemical abundances in such environments. On the other hand, the spectral features of HF are, in a sense, anomalous. This fact has been attributed to the interaction between some of the valence and Rydberg states of the molecule and has motivated us to undertake these calculations. The present work deals with the calculation of absorption oscillator strengths involving Rydberg states of hydrogen fluoride, as well as of differential oscillator strengths for the dipole-allowed photoionization channels of HF, all ending in the ground X 2Π state of HF+. The calculations have been performed with the molecular adapted quantum defect orbital (MQDO) method, which has proved to be reliable in previous studies. It is our belief that the achieved data, reported here for the first time, may be useful in studying the evolution of chemical abundances in important astronomical objects and might aid in future experimental measurements.