Photoassociation of 85Rb atoms into 0+u states near the 5S+5P atomic limits

New photoassociation data on the 0(u)(+) levels of Rb-2 below the 5S+5P(1/2) limit are combined with older data (Cline et al 1994 Phys. Rev. Lett. 73 632) in a fit to potentials and spin-orbit functions. The P-1/2 data exhibit oscillations in the B(v) values due to coupling between the two 0(u)(+) series, as modelled accurately by a coupled potentials approach. The fitted value for the C-3 dispersion parameter from the combined data agrees well with the value derived from the pure long-range 0(g)(-) state.