Empirical Line Lists in the ExoMol Database

Infrared Spectra of Small Radicals for Exoplanetary Spectroscopy: OH, NH, CN and CH: The State of Current Knowledge

In this study, we present a current state-of-the-art review of middle-to-near IR emission spectra of four simple astrophysically relevant molecular radicals-OH, NH, CN and CH. The spectra of these radicals were measured by means of time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the 700-7500 cm^-1 spectral range and with 0.07-0.02 cm^-1 spectral resolution. The radicals were generated in a glow discharge of gaseous mixtures in a specially designed discharge cell. The spectra of short-lived radicals published here are of great importance, especially for the detailed knowledge and study of the composition of exoplanetary atmospheres in selected new planets. Today, with the help of the James Webb telescope and upcoming studies with the help of Plato and Ariel satellites, when the investigated spectral area is extended into the infrared spectral range, it means that detailed knowledge of the infrared spectra of not only stable molecules but also the spectra of short-lived radicals or ions, is indispensable. This paper follows a simple structure. Each radical is described in a separate chapter, starting with historical and actual theoretical background, continued by our experimental results and concluded by spectral line lists with assigned notation.

New physical insights: Formamide discharge decomposition and the role of fragments in the formation of large biomolecules

In this work we present a time-resolved FTIR spectroscopic study on kinetics of atomic and molecular species, specifically CO, CN radical, N₂, HCN and CO₂ generated in a glow discharge of formamide-nitrogen-water mixture in a helium buffer gas. Radicals such as NH, CH and OH have been proven to be fundamental stones of subsequent chemical reactions having a crucial role in a prebiotic synthesis of large organic molecules. This work contains three main goals. Firstly, we present our time-resolved spectra of formamide decomposition products and discuss the mechanism of collisional excitations between specific species. Secondly, according to our time resolution, we demonstrate and explain the band shape of CO's first overtone and the energy transfer between excited nitrogen and CO, present in our spectra. Lastly, we present theoretical results for the non-LTE modelling of the spectra using bi-temperature approach and a 1D harmonic Franck-Condon approach for the multi-molecule spectra of the formamide decomposition process in the 1800-5600 cm^-1 spectral range.

Analysis of measured high-resolution doublet rovibronic spectra and related line lists of CH and OH

Detailed understanding of the energy-level structure of the quantum states as well as of the rovibronic spectra of the ethylidyne (CH) and the hydroxyl (OH) radicals is mandatory for a...

Experimental energy levels of 12C14N through marvel analysis

The cyano radical (CN) is a key molecule across many different factions of astronomy and chemistry. Accurate, empirical rovibronic energy levels with uncertainties are determined for eight doublet states of CN using the marvel (Measured Active Rotational-Vibrational Energy Levels) algorithm. 40 333 transitions were validated from 22 different published sources to generate 8083 spin-rovibronic energy levels. The empirical energy levels obtained from the marvel analysis are compared to current energy levels from the mollist line list. The mollist transition frequencies are updated with marvel energy level data which brings the frequencies obtained through experimental data up to 77.3 per cent from the original 11.3 per cent, with 92.6 per cent of the transitions with intensities over 10-23 cm molecule-1 at 1000 K now known from experimental data. At 2000 K, 100.0 per cent of the partition function is recovered using only marvel energy levels, while 98.2 per cent is still recovered at 5000 K.