Non-equilibrium vibrational, dissociation and dissociative attachment kinetics of HCl under high electron density conditions typical of XeCl laser discharges

Abstract

The non-equilibrium vibrational kinetics of pure HCl is studied for typical conditions of a discharge sustained xenon-chloride laser, namely: HCl partial pressure range 1 to 15 Torr, electron density from 1014 to 1016 cm-3 and reduced electric field from 2*10-17 to 5*10-17 V cm2. This work emphasizes the role of processes which are not usually included in the kinetic models for this laser. Particular attention is devoted to V-V (vibration-vibration) energy exchanges, direct dissociation by electron impact and deactivation of vibrational quanta by V-T (vibration-vibration) collisions. The role of the various vibrational levels on the formation of Cl- is also considered.