Description of metastable states in the asymptotic line shape theory

A line-by-line calculation of the continuum absorption coefficient in the 1600 and 3600 cm(-1) water vapor bands with the line wing shape corresponding to asymptotic line shape theory is presented. The calculation results agree closely with quasi-bound dimer absorption estimates made in the context of a dimer hypothesis. An examination of the classical part of the problem at hand enables the fraction of the quasi-bound dimers to be estimated.