Formation of Na5sand Na4din Na3p— Na3penergy-pooling collisions

Abstract

We report our measurements of the rate constants for formation of Na $4d$ and Na $5s$ in Na $3p$ — Na $3p$ collisions. The magnitudes of these rate constants indicate that Na $4d$ and Na $5s$ are the preponderant excited atomic products formed; however, the rate constant for $3p-3p$ associative ionization, with product $\mathrm{Na}_2^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$, is about one-hundred times greater.