Time-resolved measurements of the B2Σ state of SrF by laser spectroscopy

We report a time-resolved investigation of the low-lying state, B2Σ, of gaseous SrF using laser spectroscopy with the following derived zero-pressure lifetime τ(B2Σ(ν′=0))=25.4±0.8 ns. Such measurements constitute an important contribution to our overall understanding of excited alkaline earth halides. They are also applied to the interpretation of molecular dynamic investigations of halogen atomic abstraction reactions by excited atoms, in the present case, Sr[5s5p(3PJ)], with molecules such as CH3F where the A → X and B → X chemiluminescence emissions are employed in the time-domain to monitor the production of electronically excited SrF on collision.