COLLISION-INDUCED DEACTIVATION OF THE BENDING MODE V=1 VIBRATIONAL LEVEL OF THE EXCITED A(2)A(1) AND GROUND (XB1)-B-2 ELECTRONIC STATES OF PH2 BY RARE-GASES

Collisional deactivation of the vibrational level upsilon=1 of the ben ding mode by rare gases has been studied for both the excited (A) over tilde(2)A(1) and ground (X) over tilde(2)B(1) electronic states of PH 2. Quenching constants have been determined. While a non-SSH behavior has been observed in the dependence of the relaxation probability upon the mass of the collision partner in the ground state denoting a poss ible predominance of an intramolecular V-R energy transfer process, th e cross sections fit quite well the Parmenter and co-workers' potentia l well depth correlation rule for both the electronic states indicatin g that their interactions with the quenchers occur for both of them un der the influence of long range attractive forces. (C) 1997 American I nstitute of Physics.