Assignment and Analysis of Complex Rotational Spectra

Rotational spectra of even simple molecules can pose serious interpretational difficulties, especially in the high-J conditions of spectroscopy in the environmentally relevant mm-wave region. In recent years several useful techniques for dealing with such spectra in the laboratory have become apparent. These include the choice of the most suitable experimental tools, more detailed understanding of the characteristic features of high-J rotational spectra of asymmetric top rotors, more confident prediction of centrifugal distortion and nuclear quadrupole splitting terms in the Hamiltonian, and the use of more powerful computer programs. Author compiled preprint of paper in: J.Demaison et al. (Eds.), Spectroscopy from Space, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 2001, pp.91-106.