Dissociative excitation of the sodium atom during collisions of monoen
ergetic electrons with sodium iodide molecules was studied by means of
the extended crossed beams technique combined with optical spectrosco
py. Thirty-two excitation cross sections were measured at an electron
energy of 100 eV. Optical excitation functions for transitions from 12
levels were detected in the range of electron energies 0-100 eV. A po
wer-law dependence of dissociative excitation cross sections on the pr
incipal quantum number of the upper level was observed for the S- and
D-series of sodium atom at n greater than or equal to 6.