Inner-valence shell photoionization of Ar/sub 2/, Ar/sub 3/, Kr/sub 2/, and Kr/sub 3/

The inner-valence shell photoionization spectra (420..np Rydberg series in atomic Ar(m = 3) and Kr(m = 4). Vertical ionization potentials of the lowest ionic state in the molecular ms regions were obtained by series extrapolation and these were used to estimate the well depths in the Franck--Condon region and dissociation energies. Assignments of the observed Rydberg transitions were made by analogy with similar excitations in He/sub 2/ and the group II and II B metal dimers. For Ar/sup +//sub 2/ and Kr/sup +//sub 2/, the observed structure is tentatively assigned to 1/sub u/ (/sup 1/Pi/sub u/) and O/sup +//sub u/ (/sup 1/..sigma../sub u//sup +/) states which correlate with the ''promoted'' nd..pi../sub g/ and ndsigma/sub g/ series. Plausible assignments for the trimer spectra are also discussed.