MA1 - Laser-excited vibrational energy transfer studies of HF, CO, and NO

Abstract

An electrically initiated pulsed HF chemical laser has been used to measure vibrational relaxation of HF ( \upsilon = 1 ), CO ( \upsilon = 1 ), and NO ( \upsilon = 1 ) at 295 ± 2 K. The self-relaxation rate of HF highly dilute in argon is (8.7 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{4} s^{-1} torr ^-1 and is independent of rotational level excitation over laser transitions P_{1 \rightarrow 0}(2) - P_{1 \rightarrow 0}(9) . The rates at which O 2 , CO, and NO quench HF( \upsilon = 1 ) have been found to be 350 \pm 25, (2.5 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{3} and (6.2 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{3} s ^-1 torr ^-1 , respectively. There is indirect evidence of transfer from HF( \upsilon = 1 ) to the ( \upsilon = 2 ) levels of NO and O 2 . Through the use of HF ( \upsilon = 1 ) as a collisional pumping source we have measured the deactivation rates of CO ( \upsilon = 1 ) by HF (V → R, T) and N 2 (V → V) to be 480 ± 25 s ^-1 torr ^-1 and 130 ± 15 s ^-1 torr ^-1 . Similarly, HF ( \upsilon = 1 ) has been used to pump NO ( \upsilon = 1 ) and the NO self-relaxation rate has been measured to be (2.7 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{3} s ^-1 torr ^-1 ; this rate is about a factor of 5 faster than would be predicted by the kinetic spectroscopy results of Billingsley and Callear [43].