A complete spectroscopic characterization of so and its isotopologues up to the terahertz domain

Abstract

In order to obtain accurate terahertz center frequencies for SO and its isotopologues, we have studied the absorption spectrum of SO, 34SO, and 33SO up to 2.5 THz using continuous-wave terahertz photomixing based on a frequency comb providing an accuracy down to 10 kHz. Sulfur monoxide was produced in a radio frequency discharge of air in a cell containing pure sulfur. Together with the strong absorption signal of the main isotopologue, transitions of 34SO (34S: 4.21%) and 33SO (33S: 0.75%) were observed in natural abundance. The newly observed transitions constitute an extension of the observed rotational quantum numbers of the molecule toward higher N values, allowing an improvement of the molecular parameters for the three species. An isotopically invariant fit has been performed based on pure rotational and ro-vibrational transitions of all SO isotopologues, enabling their accurate line position prediction at higher frequencies. Thanks to this new set of parameters, it is now possible to predict with very high accuracy the frequencies of the ro-vibrational lines. This should enable the research of SO in the mid-IR using ground-based IR telescopes, space-based telescope archives (Infrared Space Observatory, Spitzer), and future space missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope. This set of parameters is particularly well adapted for the detection of SO lines in O-rich evolved stars or in molecular clouds in absorption against bright IR sources.