Energy Transfer between N2 and Electronically Excited Inert Gas Atoms and Ions

Abstract

Collisions of the second kind between N2 and metastable inert gas atoms and ions have been studied in order to investigate the energy exchange mechanism. Excited inert gas atoms are created by means of an electron beam. The state of the nitrogen molecule immediately after the energy exchange is determined by examining the spectra produced by the excited nitrogen molecule. A nonthermal rotational excitation appears to accompany most of the electronic energy transfer processes. In the case of the reaction between Kr+ and N2, the rotational excitation is limited to the N2+(B 2Σu+) υ = 1 level. With the collision between a metastable argon atom and N2, the rotational excitation is limited to the υ = 0 level of the N2(C 3Πu) state. The Franck–Condon factors for the change in vibrational levels during an electronic transition are not obeyed during either of these processes.