Molecular beam study of electronic to electronic, vibrational, and rotational energy transfer in the collision of two step laser excited sodium with N/sub 2/

Journal Article · Sat Dec 15 04:00:00 EST 1984 · J. Chem. Phys.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6212800

Jamieson, G; Reiland, W; Schulz, C P; Tittes, H U; Hertel, I V

The quenching of excited Na* (4d,5s,4p,4s) by N/sub 2/ has been studied in a crossed atomic and molecular beam apparatus at thermal collision energies. The sodium atoms are excited by two laser beams of different wavelengths to either the 4/sup 2/D/sub 5//sub ///sub 2/ or 5/sup 2/S/sub 1//sub ///sub 2/ state, via the intermediate 3/sup 2/P/sub 3//sub ///sub 2/ state. For both excitation schemes optical relaxation processes lead to a population in the 4/sup 2/P/sub 3//sub ///sub 2/ and 4/sup 2/S/sub 1//sub ///sub 2/ states of several percent. The relative densities of the excited states have been calculated from rate equations using stationary conditions. The measured energy transfer spectra show high scattering intensities at low kinetic energies together with some structure at medium energies. This structure can be partially disentangled using the results of the previously studied Na*(3/sup 2/P/sub 3//sub ///sub 2/)+N/sub 2/ quenching process. The main conclusion is that collisional deexcitation to the Na(3s) ground state is negligible, whereas among the higher levels the collisional energy transfer cross sections are between 0.5 and 7.5 times the magnitude of the 3p--3s quenching cross section and they are strongly forward peaked in the same way. Relative values for the differential quenching cross sections are reported.

• Research Organization: Institut fuer Molekuelphysik, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Arnimallee 14, D 1000 Berlin 33, Germany
• OSTI ID: 6212800
• Journal Information: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 81:12; ISSN JCPSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640304* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Collision Phenomena
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALKALI METALS
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOM-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
BEAMS
COLLISIONS
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXCITED STATES
METALS
MOLECULAR BEAMS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
ROTATIONAL STATES
SODIUM
VIBRATIONAL STATES