Knowledge Bank

Emission spectra of $N2,O2,H2,CO,NO,CO2$, and $H2O$ have been studied with a grating spectrometer between 3000 and $6000\backslash AA$. These gases were excited by an electron beam operating at $100\mu$ amp and 10 Kev. The pressure dependence of the emission spectrum of the individual gases was measured between 10 and 100 microns of Hg at room temperature. For the individual gases the first negative system of $N2+(B2\Sigma d+-X2\Sigma g+)$ was at least one order of magnitude more intense than any other emission bands or lines recorded. Band systems were observed in CO and $CO2$ while NO and $H2$ showed only atomic lines. For $O2$ and $H2O$ both atomic lines and band systems were prominent in the spectra. To study quenching of the $N2+$ emission by other gases, binary mixtures of $N2$ and $CO,CO2,H2$, and $H2O$ were studied at a constant total pressure of 50 microns of Hg by changing the composition of the binary mixtures. The only gases found to significantly quench the $N2+$ emission at this pressure were $CO2$ and $H2O$.