EMISSION-SPECTRUM OF NITROUS-OXIDE IN A HELIUM AFTERGLOW

The following reactions of N2O in a helium afterglow have been examined by a spectroscopic study of the optical emission: He(23S) + N2O → N2O+(Ã2Σ+) + He + e- and He+ + N2O → N2+(B2Σu+) + O(3P2) + He. The agreement of the relative emission cross-sections for the three N2O+(Ã2Σ+-X̃2Πi) bands, 08, 311, and 101, with those reported in photoionization has indicated that the Penning ionization is a vertical process. The vibrational analysis of the N2+(B2Σu+-X2Σg+) emission has shown that the dissociative charge-transfer process preferentially populates the excited vibrational levels in the N2+(B) state. The relative vibrational populations for the v′ = 0-4 levels are 1.0 ± 0.1, 2.9 ± 0.1, 2.4 ± 0.2, 3.9 ± 0.3 and 1.5 ± 0.2, respectively. © 1979.