Heays, AlanLewis, B.R.Gibson, S.T.Stark, G.de Oliveira, N.2016-12-162016-12-162100-014Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/111416Indirect predissociation of the b′¹Σu⁺(v = 20) level of N₂ is studied experimentally by vacuum-ultraviolet photoabsorption employing synchrotron radiation and a Fourier-transform spectrometer, and interpreted with the aid of a quantitative model of interacting ¹∏u and ¹Σu⁺, bound and unbound states which solves the coupled Schrödinger equation. An observed rotationally-localised peak in the b′(20) predissociation linewidths is identified by the model as arising from an interaction with a strongly predissociated and unobserved bound level of the mixed c₃ ¹∏u and o₃ ¹∏u Rydberg states. This leads to the dissociation of b′(20) into the continuum of the b ¹∏u valence state. The residual observed predissociation of b′ ¹Σu⁺(v = 20) apart from the rotationally-localised peak cannot be explained by a mechanism of ¹∏u and ¹Σu⁺ interaction, and must involve states of higher multiplicity.A. H. was supported by grant number 648.000.002 from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) via the Dutch Astrochemistry Network. Calculations of the N2 photodissociation cross sections were supported by the Australian Research Council Discovery Program, through Grant Nos. DP0558962 and DP0773050. G. S. was supported by NASA grant NNX08AE78G to Wellesley College.11 pagesapplication/pdf© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2015. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.201510.1051/epjconf/20158403004