RESUMO
An investigation of the sub-millimeter-wave spectra of the ionic complexes Ar.H+3 and Ar.D+3 is presented. These complexes were produced in a negative glow electric discharge, in mixtures of argon with either H2 or D2. About 80 new transitions were assigned in the 485-680 GHz frequency range using a sub-millimeter-wave spectrometer built with Russian made backward wave oscillators (BWO) sources. These measurements enabled us to observe the first Ka = 2 transitions for Ar.H+3 and the first Ka = 3 transitions for Ar.D+3. Analyses of the line frequencies were carried out using an IAM-like approach, which accounts for the large amplitude internal rotation motion displayed by both species. Insights into the geometry of the intermediate configuration for this large amplitude motion were gained. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.
