Discharge-excited free jet source of rare gas-halide and oxide molecules

Abstract

Intense rare gas-halide and rare gas-oxide excimer emission has been observed by coupling a pulsed electric discharge to a supersonic free jet expansion. A simple modification in the placement of the discharge anode drastically reduces the number of energetic electrons in the supersonic expansion region and permits large peak excimer populations to be produced by harpoon collisions involving rare gas metastables. The expansion velocity has been determined by spatially resolved spontaneous emission and laser-induced fluorescence measurements. Strong emission spectra from XeF, XeCl, KrF, KrCl, ArF, and the 2 3Π ion pair state of XeO have been recorded.