Imaging the missing bands in the resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization detection of methyl radical

Three small features were uncovered in the (2+1) resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization spectra of CD3 produced from a crossed-beam reaction of F+CHD3 near reaction threshold. Taking the velocity mapped images of these features revealed several well-resolved ringlike structures. By conservation of energy, these spectral features were unambiguously assigned to the missing bands of 1(1)(1), 3(1)(1), and 4(1)(1) in the literature. These assignments enable all four modes of excitation of this important radical being detected, which could have significant impact on future dynamics studies of the mode specificity of methyl radical.