Rotationally resolved photoelectron spectra from vibrational autoionization of NO Rydberg levels

Rotationally resolved photoelectron spectra from vibrational autoionization of individual rotational levels of the nlR v 1, 11 n 15, 0 lR 3 Rydberg states of NO are measured by combining two-color double-resonance excitation via the NO A 2 v i 1, Ni 19 state with time-of-flight photoelectron spectroscopy. The photoelectron spectra show that both even-l and odd-l continuum partial waves are generated by the autoionization events, and thus provide evidence for angular momentum exchange between the outgoing electron and the molecular-ion core. We interpret these observations as caused by the multipolar interactions between the outgoing electron and the vibrating nuclear core, which appear to be brought about both by the dependence on internuclear distance of the electron-ion-core electronic interaction and by Rydberg-valence state couplings. © 1997 American Institute of Physics. S0021-9606 97 01905-3