Does the energy transfer from Ar(1s) atoms to N2 lead to dissociation?

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AbstractDielectric‐barrier discharges (DBDs) in Ar–N2 mixtures, with N2 fractions in 0.1–1% range, would be attractive alternatives to DBDs in pure N2 if energy‐transfer reactions between Ar(1s) atoms and N2 molecules were an efficient source of N atoms. Attempts to functionalize polyolefins in flowing postdischarges fed by such DBDs, as well as the search for the First Positive System in the emission spectrum, however, failed. Evidently, the energy‐transfer reactions do not produce N atoms. For Ar(1s3) and Ar(1s5) metastable states, this fact has already been reported in the literature. For Ar(1s2) and Ar(1s4) resonant states, a quantitative argument is derived in this paper: energy transfer from Ar(1s) atoms to N2 molecules is not an efficient source of N atoms.