The contribution of electronic excitation to the total specific heats of high temperature gases: a misinterpreted absence

Abstract

It is shown that the reported absence of a contribution of electronic excitation on to the total specific heats of helium and nitrogen (10,000–35,000°K, 10−1−10 atm) should be attributed to the presence of compensation effects among the various terms into which the total specific heat can be separated and that these terms are influenced by the electronic contribution.