Abstract
THE known spectrum of the neutral oxygen molecule consists of two well-known band systems, both of which occur in absorption, and arise from the normal state of the molecule. One of these systems, known as the Schumann bands (also known in emission as the Runge bands), lies in the ultra-violet near λ1800, and corresponds to a very intense absorption. The other, known as the atmospheric absorption bands, lies at the long wave-length end of the visible solar spectrum; it is only moderately absorbed in the whole thickness of the earth's atmosphere, and this very weak absorption shows that the upper electronic state of these bands must be classed as a metastable level.
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MULLIKEN, R. Interpretation of the Atmospheric Oxygen Bands; Electronic Levels of the Oxygen Molecule. Nature 122, 505 (1928). https://doi.org/10.1038/122505a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/122505a0
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