Knowledge Bank

The lineshapes of the rotational-vibrational lines $R(17/2)1/2$, and $R(19/2)3/2$ of nitric oxide were measured using a $PbS0.61Se0.39$ diode laser. These lineshapes were measured for an $No/N2$ mixture and an $NO/H2O/N2$ mixture at atmospheric pressure. This is the first high resolution spectroscopic measurement of the rotational-vibrational lineshape of NO broadened by $H2O$. The effect of the $H2O$ is to broaden the lines, increasing the halfwidth by up to 30% for a 10% volume concentration of $H2O$. For the case of NO broadened by $N2$, the measured values of the linestrength for the $R(19/2)1/2$ and $R(17/2)1/2$ lines agree within 2% of previously published values.