ELECTRONIC ENERGY TRANSFER IN $N_{2}{^{+}}$
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Date
1984
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Ohio State University
Abstract
In a $previous^{1}$ experiment on the collisional deactivation of electronically excited $N_{2}{^{+}}$, it was assumed that collision induced electronic energy transfer occurs rapidly between the initial, laser populated $A^{2}\Pi u(v^{\prime}=4)$ level and its adjacent ground state, $v^{\prime\prime} = 8$ level. In the present work, a two laser, optical-optical double resonance technique is used to probe the rotational manifolds of these vibrational levels for the A and X states to show directly and conclusively that rapid electronic energy transfer occurs between these two levels. Because $N_{2}{^{+}}$ is homonuclear, its Hamiltonian has no perturbing terms that connect the $A^{2}\Pi u$ and $X^{2}\Sigma g^{+}$ states. Hence, energy transfer between the rotational manifolds of these two different electronic states cannot occur through ``gates'' of perturbed rotational levels formed in the free molecule. Rotational selection rules deduced from this work will be discussed.
Description
$^{1}$ D.H. Katayama, T.A. Miller and V.E. Bondybey, J. Chem. Phys. 72, 5469 (1980).
Author Institution: Ionospheric Physics Division, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory
Author Institution: Ionospheric Physics Division, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory