Channels of energy transfer to atomic nitrogen in excited argon–nitrogenmixtures

Abstract

The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and ultraviolet (UV) emissions of gaseousmixtures of argon with a small amount of nitrogen were investigated in theafterglow of a pulsed transverse discharge. The time dependences of the intensityof the VUV argon continuum at 126.0 nm, the UV nitrogen molecular band at337.0 nm, and the VUV nitrogen atomic lines at 149.47 and 174.52 nm wereanalysed in the total pressure range 150–600 hPa and the range 0.125–1.5 hPa ofthe admixture concentrations. The results show that all these emissions have acommon source of excitation energy, namely the atomic metastable 3P2state of argon. However, atomic nitrogen also receives energy from theatomic 3P1 state of argon and from the excited Ar2* (1u)molecules.