Project Details:

Part 4. Vibrational-Rotational Spectroscopy;
 Series: Notations and Conventions in Molecular Spectroscopy

The purpose of the Subcommittee on Notations and Conventions for Molecular Spectroscopy is to establish and recommend a set of conventions and symbols from those that are in common use in the spectroscopic literature. All of its projects have this objective, with the title showing the scope of a project. The symbols, notations and conventions of this field are very detailed and extensive; they have expanded greatly in the past 2 decades as a result of the extraordinary detail revealed by modern laser spectroscopy. The subcommittee's international membership includes the leading workers in the field, which ensures that the projects will provide a consistent basis for the growing international application of high-resolution spectroscopy to studies of space, the atmosphere, and chemical physics.

The Subcommittee has exchanged several drafts of this document. It now comprises about 45 pages in final IUPAC format, and is nearing completion.

Five members of the Subcommittee (Bertie, Hougen, McDowell, Watson, Winnewisser) met on June 16, 1999 at the Molecular Spectroscopy Symposium in Columbus, Ohio, and discussed the work necessary for completion, and assigned responsibility for these portions. This material is now being received and incorporated into the document. The July 1999 draft was discussed by the Commission in Berlin. No major changes were requested but one or two additions are being incorporated. It is hoped that the document will be completed early 2000.