The electron beam technique in carbon monoxide

Abstract

Abstract The electron beam fluorescence technique was developed to measure the rotational level population in the ground state of a carbon monoxide molecule. The data on rotational transition probabilities under ionization–excitation of CO (X 1 Σ + ) into the CO + (B 2 Σ + ) state by high energy electrons are presented, which noticeably differ from those predicted by the dipole excitation model. A flow in a free jet was used to obtain the experimental data in a low temperature rotationally equilibrium gas target. The probability matrix is represented in a compact form corresponding to the sudden approximation model.