Deexcitation of Ne(3P1) and Ne(3P2) in collisions with Ar, Kr, and Xe

Abstract

The cross sections for the deexcitation of Ne(3P1) and Ne(3P2) by Ar, Kr, and Xe have been measured as a function of the mean collisional energy in the range of 17–38 meV or in the temperature range from 133 K to 295 K using a pulse radiolysis method combined with time-resolved optical absorption spectroscopy. The deexcitation cross sections are in the range of 18–26 Å2 and 11–20 Å2 for Ne(3P1) and Ne(3P2), respectively, and increase slightly with increasing the collisional energy. The absolute experimental cross sections for the Ne(3P1) deexcitation are in relatively good agreement with the total Penning ionization cross sections obtained by an optical model calculation, which shows the importance of an electron-exchange interaction in the deexcitation of Ne(3P1) in collisions with Ar, Kr, and Xe. The absolute cross section values for the deexcitation of resonant Ne(3P1), which are only slightly larger than those for the deexcitation of metastable Ne(3P2), have also supported the discussion on the deexcitation mechanism of Ne(3P1) by Ar, Kr, and Xe.