Date Published:

JUL 1

Abstract:

We report the production in the gas phase of ionically bound HXeI molecules. The molecules are generated by the photodissociation of HI molecules in large Xe-n clusters and are identified from the asymmetry of the detected H atom fragments arising from the dissociation of oriented HXeI. The orientation, resulting from a synergistic action of a pulsed laser field with a weak electrostatic field, is quite pronounced, due to a large ratio of the polarizability anisotropy to the rotational constant of HXeI. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.