expansion cooled molecular beam by laser vaporization of vanadium metal. Using the
technique of resonant two photon ionization spectroscopy a strong band system with origin
near 7000 Å was observed. Rotationally resolved spectra of this band system conclusively
demonstrate that the transition is of the type 3Π u (a)← 3Σ− g (a), and we assign the 3Σ− g
state as the ground electronic state of V2. The short ground state bond length re ″= 1.77 Å …