Photodissociation dynamics of 13C16O excited by 193 nm light

The two-photon dissociation dynamics of 13C16O is studied using a tunable ArF excimer laser and the velocity map imaging technique. C(1D) atoms formed are detected via (1+1) resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI). The measured C(1D) yield spectrum is assigned to the a3Π(v=2)←X1Σ+(v=0) transition. Images containing velocity and angular distribution information are measured for the Q(1), R(0) and R(1) lines. The dissociation energy is confirmed to be 11.09±0.02 eV. Dissociation takes place after one-photon excitation of the a3Π1(v=2) state via a ΔΩ=0 (parallel) transition. A suggested dissociation process is predissociation of a3Π1 Rydberg state on a 16±5 ps time scale.