Mechanism and rates of rotational relaxation of CO/sub 2/(001) in He and Ar

Journal Article · Fri Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · J. Chem. Phys.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6733617

Preston, R K; Pack, R T

Cross sections and rate constants for rotational relaxation of C0/sub 2/(001) in He and Ar are calculated using realistic (electron gas plus van der Waals) potential energy surfaces and 22 000 classical trajectories. Some propensity for small ..delta..j transitions over large ..delta..j transitions is noted, but there is certainly no ..delta..j= +- 2 selection rule, and transitions with ..delta..j as large as 30 are important in the relaxation kinetics. Calculated rates are compared with experiment and found to be within a factor of 2 for the total rate of relaxation into a depleted level. Relaxation of levels other than the depleted level is also modeled, and it is found that the present method, in contrast to earlier models, gives excellent agreement with experiment. It is suggested that the transitions used in multiline energy extraction from CO/sub 2/ laser amplifiers be spread out rather than adjacent.

• Research Organization: Theoretical Division, University of California Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
• OSTI ID: 6733617
• Journal Information: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 69:6; ISSN JCPSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300 -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
640304* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Collision Phenomena
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ARGON
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOM-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON DIOXIDE LASERS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLISIONS
CROSS SECTIONS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITED STATES
FLUIDS
GAS LASERS
HELIUM
LASERS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RARE GASES
RELAXATION
ROTATIONAL STATES