Ab. Wedding et al., N-2(A''(1)SIGMA(G)(-EXCITATION TRANSFER BY N-2() METASTABLE COLLISIONAL DESTRUCTION AND ROTATIONAL), The Journal of chemical physics, 98(8), 1993, pp. 6227-6234
Quenching and rotational coupling rate coefficients have been measured
for the J=4-10, v=0 levels of the a'' 1SIGMA(g)+ metastable state of
N2 in collisions with ground state N2. Laser absorption is used to mon
itor the population of rotational levels of the a'' 1SIGMA(g)+ state f
ollowing depletion of the population of one or more levels by optical
pumping to other states. The observed time dependence of the recovery
of population of the perturbed level and the collision induced growth
and decay of the populations of adjacent levels are interpreted in ter
ms of quenching to other electronic levels and excitation exchange amo
ng adjacent rotational levels. For the J=6, v=0 level of the a'' 1SIGM
A(g)+ state the rate coefficients extrapolated to zero discharge curre
nt at 300 K are 2.3 +/- 0.1 x 10(-6) m3/s for electronic quenching and
1.1 +/- 0.6 X 10(-16) m3/S for excitation transfer to the J=4 and J=8
levels in collisions with N2. Very similar rate coefficents were obta
ined for the J=4, 7 and 8 levels.