Laser photoluminescence of zirconium oxide at 40K

Laser induced photoluminsecence spectra of ZrO trapped in Ne at 4 K have been obtained. Continuous wave tunable dye and cw argon ion lasers were used to excite ZrO from the X 1Σ+ ground state to the e 1Pi and B 3Pi electronic states, respectively. Red emission from e 1Pi (v=0) →X 1Σ+(v=0,1,2) was observed. In addition, e 1Pi (v=0) and e 1Pi (v=2) have been found to undergo matrix induced intersystem relaxation into the E 3Pi and A 3Phi states, respectively. Infrared emissions of ZrO have been observed and tentatively identified as belonging to E 3Pi→X' 3Δ and e 1Pi→c 1Δ. Bandheads of observed transitions are shifted not more than 2% from known gas-phase values. Line shapes of the transitions to the ground state from the e and B states are characterized by a sharp zero-phonon line accompanied by a multiphonon sideband. An additional system overlapping the e 1Pi-X 1Σ+ system has been observed and is identified as the A 3Phi2→X' 3Δ1 band system. The energy of the low-lying c1Δ and X' 3Δ states are determined to be 5200 and 1650 cm/sup -1/ above the ground state