Dissociative excitation of sodium atoms upon electron collisions with sodium iodide molecules

Dissociative excitation of the sodium atom during collisions of monoenergetic electrons with sodium iodide molecules was studied by means of the extended crossed beams technique combined with optical spectroscopy. Thirty-two excitation cross sections were measured at an electron energy of 100 eV. Optical excitation functions for transitions from 12 levels were detected in the range of electron energies 0-100 eV. A power-law dependence of dissociative excitation cross sections on the principal quantum number of the upper level was observed for the S- and D-series of sodium atom at n greater than or equal to 6.