The tunneling dynamics of OC–H2O probed by infrared laser spectroscopy

The optothermal method has been used to record a rotationally resolved near-infrared spectrum of the carbon monoxide–water binary complex. The vibrational band studied here corresponds to the asymmetric O–H water stretch. All of the transitions in the spectrum are doubled, due to water tunneling within the complex. The present results are used, together with those obtained from previous studies of this complex, to draw several interesting conclusions about the nature of the tunneling dynamics in this system.