Self-, N2-, O2-broadening coefficients and line parameters of HFC-32 for ν7 band and ground state transitions from infrared and microwave spectroscopy

Hydrofluorocarbons have been used as replacement gases of chlorofluorocarbons, since the latter have been phased out by theMontreal Protocol due to their environmental hazardous ozone-depleting effects. This is also the case of difluoromethane (CH2F2, HFC-32), which nowadays is widely used in refrigerant mixtures together with CF3CH3, CF3CH2F, and CF3CHF2. Due to its commercial use, in the last years, the atmospheric concentration of HFC-32 has increased significantly. However, this molecule presents strong absorptions within the 8–12 μm atmospheric window, and hence it is a greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming. Although over the years several experimental and theoretical investigations dealt with the spectroscopic properties of CH2F2, up to now pressure broadening coefficients have never been determined. In the present work, the line-by-line parameters of CH2F2 are retrieved for either ground state or ν7 band transitions by means of microwave (MW) and infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy, respectively. In particular, laboratory experiments are carried out on 9 pure rotational transitions of the ground state and 26 ro-vibrational transitions belonging to the ν7 band lying around 8.2 μm within the atmospheric region. Measurements are carried out at room temperature on self-perturbed CH2F2 as well as on CH2F2 perturbed by N2 and O2. The line shape analysis leads to the first determination of self-, N2-, O2-, and air-broadening coefficients, and also of line intensities (IR). Upon comparison, broadening coefficients of ground state transitions are larger than those of the ν7 band, and no clear dependence on the rotational quantum numbers can be reported. The obtained results represent basic information for the atmospheric modelling of this compound as well as for remote sensing applications.