Lifetime studies of Na(4 2P) produced by photodissociation and quenched by iodine

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Abstract
Sodium atoms were generated in the 4 2P state by vacuum ultraviolet nanosecond flash photolysis of sodium iodide vapor. The fluorescence lifetime of the sodium atom was measured as a function of iodine pressure. The quenching cross section so derived is 175±22 Å2 which can be compared with 210 Å2 for the 3 2P state. This decline in the cross section becomes more dramatic in the case of K(5 2P) as shown by Earl and Herm. The basic reason is that these second excited states have such high energy that they lie above the ionic surface and the usual form of level crossing is impossible. To further clarify the problem it is essential to have more information on the final ionic products.