A BOXCARS investigation of the interspecies V–V energy transfer from highly excited SF6 to N2

Abstract

The BOXCARS technique was used to investigate the V–V energy transfer between highly excited SF6 and N2. It was found that a Boltzmann population distribution among vibrational levels of N2 is present by 1 μs after laser excitation of SF6 and is maintained during the energy-transfer processes. The maximum energy transferred to N2 increases linearly with the increase of the average number of photons absorbed [Formula: see text] by SF6 in the range [Formula: see text]. The maximum energy transferred to the N2 vibrational levels increases with the partial pressure of SF6 and decreases with the partial pressure of N2. The apparent rate of energy increase in the N2 vibrational levels increases with both partial pressures of SF6 and N2. However, both the rate and the amount of energy transferred to N2 vibrational levels depend more strongly on the partial pressure of SF6 than on the partial pressure of N2. A model calculation produces a reasonable fit to the experimental data.