The effect of centrifugal distortion on CO2-laser frequencies

An analysis of the effects of higher order centrifugal distortion terms on C
¹²
O
2
¹⁶
-laser frequencies is presented. This analysis, coupled with recent high-accuracy measurements of C
¹²
O
2
¹⁶
-laser beat frequencies by Petersen et al. at the National Bureau of Standards, points out the weakness of existing frequency tables for high
J
lines. Expected values for both
H
and
L
centrifugal distortion coefficients are calculated, and
J
values for which these terms become important are discussed.