Measurement of quantum tunneling between chiral isomers of the cyclic water trimer.

A detailed experimental study of the water trimer is reported. A vibration-rotation-tunneling band of the perdeuterated cluster has been measured near 89.6 wave numbers by tunable far infrared laser absorption spectroscopy. The data indicate a chiral six-membered ring structure with rapid quantum tunneling occurring between the enantiomers. The observed vibration involves torsional motion of the water subunits about each hydrogen bond axis. It is speculated that larger water clusters would also exhibit transient chirality and that similar effects may be found in liquid water.

Tunable far-IR laser spectroscopy of jet-cooled carbon clusters: the nu 2 bending vibration of C3.

Seven rovibrational transitions of the (01(1)0) <-- (00(0)0) fundamental bending band of C3 have been measured with high precision with the use of a tunable far-infrared laser spectrometer. The C3 molecules were produced by laser vaporization of a graphite rod and cooled in a supersonic expansion. The astrophysically important nu 2 fundamental frequency is determined to be 63.416529(40) cm-1. These measurements provide the basis for studies of C3 in the interstellar medium with far-infrared astronomy.