First Observation of the BeXe+ Molecule: The A2Π–X2Σ Band System in Emission

Abstract

Twenty-three new violet degraded bands in the region λ 4100–4700 Å have been observed in emission from a microwave discharge through beryllium chloride and flowing xenon at total pressures near 200 Torr. The band system is attributed to the A2Π–X2Σ+ transition of the new molecule BeXe+. Approximate molecular constants are reported from the vibrational analysis. The observation and assignment of this spectrum of BeXe+ confirm our recent results on the BeAr+ and BeKr+ molecules, for which it was proposed that the ion-induced dipole interaction was largely responsible for the ground state binding energies.