MEASUREMENTS OF THE RATES OF QUENCHING OF N-2(C-3-PI(U)) AND N-2(-2-SIGMA(+)(U)) STATES BY N-2, O-2, AND CO MOLECULES IN THE AFTERGLOW PLASMA OF A NANOSECOND DISCHARGE()(B)

Lifetimes of N-2(C-3 Pi(u)) and N-2(+) (B-2 Sigma(u)(+)) states and ra tes of their quenching by molecules of N-2, O-2, and CO are determined by emission spectroscopy with a high temporal resolution. For excitat ion of the states involved, a high-voltage nanosecond periodic pulse d ischarge (high-speed ionization wave) was used. For T = 300 K, the fol lowing lifetimes and quenching rates were obtained. For N-2(C-3 Pi(u), nu' = 0) tau(0) = 37 +/- 4 ns, k(q)(N2) = (0.9 +/- 0.3) x 10(-11) cm( 3)/s, k(q)(O2) = (2.7 +/- 0.3) x 10(-10) cm(3)/s, and k(q)(CO) = (2.4 +/- 0.2) x 10(-10) cm(3)/s; for N-2(+) (B-2 Sigma(u)(+), nu' = 0) tau( 0i) = 58 +/- 8 ns, k(qi)(N2) = (2.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(-10) cm(3)/s, k(qi)( O2) = (5.1 +/- 0.5) x 10(-10) cm(3)/s, and k(qi)(CO) = (1.9 +/- 0.2) x 10(-10) cm(3)/s.