Branching ratio measurements of the predissociation of 12C16O by time-slice velocity-map ion imaging in the energy region from 108 000 to 110 500 cm-1

Direct branching ratio measurements of the three lowest dissociation channels of (CO)-C-12-O-16 that produce C(P-3) + O(P-3), C(D-1) + O(P-3), and C(P-3) + O(D-1) are reported in the vacuum ultraviolet region from 108 000 cm(-1) (92.59 nm) to 110 500 cm-1 (90.50 nm) using the time-slice velocity-map ion imaging and nonlinear resonant four-wave mixing techniques. Rotationally, resolved carbon ion yield spectra for both (1)Sigma(+) and (1)Pi bands of CO in this region have been obtained. Our measurements using this technique show that the branching ratio in this energy region, especially the relative percentages of the two spin-forbidden channels, is strongly dependent on the particular electronic and vibrational energy levels of CO that are excited. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4734018]