A highly accurate interatomic potential for argon

A modified potential based on the individually damped model of Douketis, Scoles, Marchetti, Zen, and Thakkar [J. Chem. Phys. 76, 3057 (1982)] is presented which fits, within experimental error, the accurate ultraviolet (UV) vibration-rotation spectrum of argon determined by UV laser absorption spectroscopy by Herman, LaRocque, and Stoicheff [J. Chem. Phys. 89, 4535 (1988)]. Other literature potentials fail to do so. The potential also is shown to predict a large number of other properties and is probably the most accurate characterization of the argon interaction constructed to date.