The binding energies of NO-Rg (Rg=He, Ne, Ar) determined by velocity map imaging

We report velocity map imaging measurements of the binding energies, D ₀, of NO-Rg (Rg = He, Ne, Ar) complexes. The X̃ state binding energies determined are 3.0 ± 1.8, 28.6 ± 1.7, and 93.5 ± 0.9 cm^-1 for NO-He, -Ne, and -Ar, respectively. These values compare reasonably well with ab initio calculations. Because the Ã-X̃ transitions were unable to be observed for NO-He and NO-Ne, values for the binding energies in the à state of these complexes have not been determined. Based on our X̃ state value and the reported Ã-X̃ origin band position, the A state binding energy for NO-Ar was determined to be 50.6 ± 0.9 cm^-1.