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Title: Formation of supersonic beams of metastable mercury, Hg(6 $sup 3$$P$$sub 0$). Kinetics of photoexcitation and intramultiplet quenching in a nozzle

Journal Article · · J. Chem. Phys., v. 62, no. 11, pp. 4466-4473
OSTI ID:4117540

A nitrogen-seeded supersonic nozzle-beam source of metastable mercury, Hg(6$sup 3$$P$$sub 0$), is described. Ground-state (6$sup 1$$S$$sub 0$) mercury is excited with 2537 A resonance radiation to the 6$sup 3$$P$$sub 1$ state, which is then converted via intramultiplet quenching to the 6$sup 3$$P$$sub 0$ state by collision with nitrogen (the carrier gas). The mercury beam is accelerated by the N$sub 2$ seeding gas to a speed of 8 x 10$sup 4$ cm sec$sup -1$. Thus, the present source provides a beam of a single metastable state, Hg(6$sup 3$$P$$sub 0$), with 4.67 eV of electronic excitation and 0.67 eV of translational energy. The metastable beam has been characterized and the kinetics of the over-all photoexcitation and quenching process studied by a secondary electron (Auger) detector utilizing a potassium suface, and an electron-bombardment ionizer, mass- filter detector. Hg(6$sup 3$$P$$sub 0$) beam intensities of 4 x 10$sup 12$ atoms sr$sup -1$ sec$sup -1$ are obtained, based upon an (assumed) 5 percent efficiency for the Auger detector. (auth)

Research Organization:
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison
NSA Number:
NSA-33-012917
OSTI ID:
4117540
Journal Information:
J. Chem. Phys., v. 62, no. 11, pp. 4466-4473, Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-76
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English