Stationary states and their stability for a mixture of molecular gases under velocity-selective excitation.

Abstract

We consider a mixture of resonant two-level molecules under velocity-selective excitation and a buffer gas. The corresponding kinetic equations are augmented by a strong-collision model with free parameters. We obtain the equilibrium velocity distribution functions of the resonant and buffer components. We then use the Boltzmann kinetic equations to derive the H-theorem analog for this mixture (valid for arbitrary values of the collision rates \ensuremath{\nu} and the spontaneous decay rate \ensuremath{\gamma}) and discuss the implications for the stability of the stationary solutions. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.