High-resolution microwave spetroscopy of radioactive molecules

Molecules containing radioactive nuclei are discussed in detail in this work aiming at their usage as tracers for nucleosynthesis processes in the present star generation. So far, these processes can be observed in the γ-ray region via the decay of the radioactive atom. The spatial resolution of the astronomical observations is low in most cases. Here, it is proposed that precise stellar positions in the sky can be achieved using low energetic photons, emitted from molecular rotational or ro-vibrational motion. The aim of this thesis is to derive the rotational fingerprints of diatomic astrophysical relevant radioactive molecules from laboratory measurements of their stable counterparts. In case of diatomic molecules this goal can be achieved by a mass-independent Dunham approach. This method has been successfully applied to reveal the spectra of the radioactive, long-lived species 26AlF, 26AlH, 26AlO, 26AlS, 32SiO, 44TiO, and 60FeO.