The 355 nm photodissociation of jet-cooled CH3SNO: alignment of the NO photofragment

The photodissociation dynamics of jet-cooled methyl thionitrite (CH3SNO) have been studied using 355 nm polarised laser photolysis and probing of the NO photofragment by polarised laser-induced fluorescence. The alignment A0(2) between the electronic transition dipole moment involved in the absorption of the parent molecule and the rotational angular momentum J of the nascent NO (v″=0 and v″=1) photofragment has been measured as a function of J up to J=44.5. The A0(2) values found are negative and approach the high-J limit confirming that the S2←S0 continuum transition of CH3SNO in the near-UV arises from a π*←π transition to a repulsive excited state.