Excitation of bending motion

A much clearer picture evolves when one decomposes the total spectrum into the partial photodissociation cross sections a(, n,j) for absorbing a photon with wavelength A and producing NO in a particular vibrational-rotational state with quantum numbers (n,j). Experimentally this is accomplished by measuring so-called photofragment yield spectra. The idea is, in principle, simple the NO product is probed by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). However, instead of scanning the wavelength Alif of the probe laser (in order to determine the final rotational state distribution) one fixes Alif to a particular transition NO(2n, nj) —  

The photodissociation of NH3 through the A1 state is an example of strong bending excitation (Ashfold, Bennett, and Dixon 1986 Dixon 

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