The molecular symmetry group of the CO dimer and the assignments of the intermolecular vibrations

Vibrational assignments for some of the lowest energy levels of the CO dimer have been derived purely spectroscopically on the basis of the molecular symmetry, nuclear spin statistics, observed selection rules, and sequence of the transition doublets. Most of the previous assignments of Surin et al. [L.A. Surin, D.N. Fourzikov, T.F. Giesen, S. Schlemmer, G. Winnewisser, V.A. Panfilov, B.S. Dumesh, G.W.M. Vissers, A. van der Avoird, J. Phys. Chem. A 111 (2007) 12238-12247] are confirmed in the present work, and are supported by much clear evidences. One significant revision of that analysis in the present work is identification of the torsional (out-of-plane) excited state, which had been assigned previously to an excited state of the geared (in plane) internal rotation.