ExoMol line lists – VIII. A variationally computed line list for hot formaldehyde

A computed line list for formaldehyde, H212C16O, applicable to temperatures up to T = 1500 K is presented. An empirical potential energy and ab initio dipole moment surfaces are used as the input to the nuclear motion program trove. The resulting line list, referred to as AYTY, contains 10.3 million rotational-vibrational states and around 10 billion transition frequencies. Each transition includes associated Einstein-A coefficients and absolute transition intensities, for wavenumbers below 10 000 cm−1 and rotational excitations up to J = 70. Room-temperature spectra are compared with laboratory measurements and data currently available in the HITRAN data base. These spectra show excellent agreement with experimental spectra and highlight the gaps and limitations of the HITRAN data. The full line list is available from the CDS data base as well as at www.exomol.com.