Excitation of Electronic Levels of Sodium by Vibrationally Excited Nitrogen

Abstract

The excitation of electronic states of sodium by vibrationally excited nitrogen N₂^‡ has been demonstrated experimentally. The N₂^‡ was produced in the afterglow of a microwave discharge in flowing N₂. Identification of N₂^‡ as the source of the sodium excitation was accomplished by the selective removal of N₂^‡ from the afterglow by deactivation with N₂O and by observation of the concurrent disappearance of sodium line emission. It is concluded that the observed excitation is representative of a general phenomenon whereby the electronic states of atoms can be excited by the transfer of vibrational energy from diatomic molecules. The results verify the generally assumed mechanism for the quenching of sodium resonance radiation by nitrogen.