Millimeter-wave spectroscopic and collisional studies of molecules and molecular ions

Molecular spectroscopy in the millimeter- and submillimeter-wave regions is an important tool in molecular physics. Information on molecular motions and interactions is obtained from spectroscopic studies of energy levels and collisions. This information and the data from which it is derived are essential in remote sensing of the atmosphere and the interstellar medium.;Remote sensing at submillimeter wavelengths is now possible, making higher frequency and quantum number measurements of known interstellar species like water, propionitrile and ethyl alcohol necessary. Remote sensing improvements have also facilitated the need for spectral data on suspected interstellar molecules like propylene. The desire to extract quantitative information from atmospheric remote sensing has resulted in the need for a better understanding of the molecular interactions that cause pressure broadening. The use of a cold molecular ion to magnify the effects of intermolecular interactions has serious implications for pressure broadening theory.;The measurement and analysis of rotational spectra of the asymmetric rotors water and propionitrile and the internal rotors propylene and ethyl alcohol are presented. These investigations provide the data and analysis necessary for astronomical observation. The ethyl alcohol investigation is the first experimental millimeter-wave study of a molecule with an asymmetric internal rotor. This study provides the data necessary for detailed theoretical modeling of this type of problem. A novel new experimental technique for generating and studying molecular ions is presented. The first temperature dependent microwave pressure broadening study of a molecular ion colliding with a neutral molecule, HCO...