Effect of Oxygen and Hydrogen Atoms on the Vibrational Distribution of N2(B 3Π) in the Nitrogen Afterglow

Abstract

The effect of oxygen, hydrogen, and deuterium atoms and of molecular O2, D2, and SF6 on the vibrational population distribution of N2(B 3Π) in nitrogen afterglows has been investigated for pressures between 0.01 and 2.0 torr. At N2 pressures less than 0.1 torr, these atoms cause preferential population in the lower vibrational levels, and all levels appear to have a high rotational temperature. Emission from the N2 first-positive system is increased by as much as a factor of 60 by the addition of oxygen atoms, and there is a pronounced population maximum at υ′ = 6 with smaller maxima at υ′ = 2, 4, 8, and 12. Hydrogen and deuterium atoms decrease the populations in high vibrational levels and have small population peaks at υ′ = 2 and 12.