1. F. G. Houtermans, Helv. Phys. Acta 33, 933 (1960).HPACAK0018-0238
2. See G. Herzberg, Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure, I. Spectra of Diatomic Molecules (Van Nostrand, New York, 1950), pp. 194–198.
3. Electronic molecular lasers based on displayed potential energy curves eliminates the requirement for total inversions between two electronic levels similar to P‐branch operation on vibrational‐rotational infrared CO2 and CO lasers. See, C. K. N. Patel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 12, 588 (1964).PRLTAO0031-9007
4. An excimer is an electronically excited molecule which dissociates after it radiates to the ground electronic state. Alternatively a dimer is a homonuclear molecule that is electronically stable in its ground state as well as its excited electronic levels. Examples of the former are NaXe and RbXe; Na2, Rb2, and Cs2 are illustrations of the latter.
5. For a description of the alkali‐excimer systems, see A. V. Phelps, JILA Report No. 110, 1972 (unpublished).