Microwave Frequency Transitions Requiring Laser Ablated Uranium Metal Discovered Using Chirp-pulse Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

Cooke, S.A.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/51203 Copy

Description

Title

Microwave Frequency Transitions Requiring Laser Ablated Uranium Metal Discovered Using Chirp-pulse Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

Author(s)

Cooke, S.A.

Contributor(s)

Long, B.E.

Issue Date

2014-06-17

Keyword(s)

Metal containing

Abstract

"A rod of depleted uranium metal (mp = 1,132$^{\circ}$ C) has been ablated with the fundamental operating frequency of a Nd:YAG laser. The resulting ablation plume of uranium was then mixed with argon gas and expanded between the transmit/receive horn antennae of a chirp-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. The recorded spectra show nine strong transitions which are not present when the laser is not used in the experimental procedure. A series of experiments in which the backing gas conditions were altered provides evidence that the nine observed transitions are carried by the same species. Should the transitions be from one species it is most likely an asymmetric top. The transitions persist even when ultra-pure argon is used as the sole backing gas. The oxide coating of the uranium metal likely provides a source of oxygen and, presently, the ``top"" candidate for the unknown molecule is UO$_3$, which is known to have C$_2v$ symmetry. Double resonance experiments are planned to aid transition assignments. A plausible explanation for an elusive assignment to date is the presence of pseudo-rotation."

Publisher

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy

Type of Resource

text

Language

English

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/51203

DOI

https://doi.org/10.15278/isms.2014.TK14

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2014 by the authors. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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