PHOTODISSOCIATION OF CO - PARTIAL CROSS-SECTIONS FOR NEUTRAL DISSOCIATIVE EXCITATION

Dispersed vacuum-ultraviolet fluorescence from neutral dissociation fr agments in the wavelength range from 100-200 nm has been measured afte r photodissociation of CO as a function of the exciting photon energy between 18.5 and 29 eV. The decay channels of neutral dissociative exc itation of the formed CO Rydberg states converging to the CO+ D and C states have been analysed. The vibrationally excited levels of the R(D )(ns) and R(D)((n + 1)s) Rydberg states preferentially dissociate into the fragments C I(2s(2)2p(n - 1)d/ns (2S+1)L(J))+ O I(2s(2)2p(4 2S+1) L(J)). Relative cross sections for the observed lines of C I and O I h ave been obtained. For the lines at 193, 167.5 and 156 nm estimations for absolute cross sections are presented. Evidence for superexcited s tates has been found in the exciting photon energy range between 24 an d 27.5 eV.