Population of the higher-lying vibrational levels of the nitrogen B3π state in a glow discharge

Abstract

The absolute populations of the higher-lying vibrational levels of the B3π state of the nitrogen molecule in a glow discharge have been determined for pressures from 0.1 to 1.0 torr and current densities from 80 to 200 mA/cm2. The absolute concentrations of molecules at levels v′ = 5, 6, ..., 12 under these conditions are of the order of 109–1011 cm−3. The most probable processes leading to a population of the B3π state are thought to be direct electronic impact, cascade transitions, and collisions of normal molecules with molecules in the singlet state.