<title>Direct measurements of state-to-state rotational and vibrational energy transfer in highly vibrational excited acetylene: vibrational overtone excitation--LIF detection</title>

Abstract

Vibrational overtone excitation of single rovibrational eigenstates followed by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection of the collisionally populated quantum states in single collision conditions provides a method for directly measuring state-to-state rotational and vibrational energy transfer rates in highly vibrationally excited acetylene. There are several advantages in collecting the data in vibrational overtone excitation spectra with LIF detection (scanning excitation laser wavelength with probe laser wavelength fixed) rather than collecting LIF excitation spectra (scanning the probe laser wavelength with the excitation laser wavelength fixed) of the collision-induced transitions. We compare the spectra produced by these two methods and use the technique to acquire a spectrum of state-to-state vibrational energy transfer in single collision conditions as well.