Abstract
In order to give an account of extreme, nonthermal populations of the rotational states of the 2Σ+ level of OH split by electron impact from water, a proposal is made for a statistical model which includes the law of angular momentumconservation within it. The interaction volume is taken to be double‐walled and spherically symmetric with respect to the center of gravity of the whole system which consists of OH* and H. It is shown that abnormal populations quite similar to typical ones thus far experimentally observed can be derived from the model proposed with the aid of the Franck—Condon principle and a predissociation of OH.