INELASTIC-SCATTERING OF NO((II)-I-2) WITH ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR COLLIDERS - ROTATIONAL AND FINE-STRUCTURE EXCITATIONS

The inelastic collisions of NO (T-rct less than or equal to 5 K) with Ar, Xe, CO, N-2, O-2, N2O and CO2 were studied in molecular beams at energies 750-2500 cm(-1). Rotational, Lambda-doublet and spin-orbit distributions of scattered NO((2) Pi(1/2,3/2)) were determined. In all the scattering experiments (with the possible exception of Ar) no preferences were observed in the Lambda-doublet populations. The rotational distributions all appear Boltzmann-like, with somewhat different rotational temperatures. The populations of the (2) Pi(1/2) and (2) Pi(3/2) spin-orbit states depend on the nature of the collider, but do not show any clear relationship with the extent of rotational excitation. No evidence of long-range attractive interactions is revealed in any of the systems studied.