Quantum state-resolved study of pure rotational excitation of CO2 by hot atoms

Rotationally inelastic scattering of carbon dioxide by translationally hot H, D, and Cl atoms was studied by time-resolved diode laser absorption. The high J rotational distribution falls off quite rapidly between J=60 and J=80. D atom collisions have roughly twice the excitation cross section versus H atom collisions, with the H*/D* ratio decreasing with increasing J. These results are consistent with a constraint on the total reagent orbital angular momentum available for rotational excitation. Transient Doppler profiles measured immediately after hot atom/CO2 collisions indicate that CO2 molecules excited to high J levels have a larger recoil velocity than molecules excited to lower J levels. This result is consistent with predictions based on a simple model which treats the CO2 potential as a hard shell ellipsoid.