The Quenching of Mercury Resonance Radiation (2537A) by Nitrogen

When a mercury atom in the resonance 6³P₁ state collides with a nitrogen molecule, it may be transferred to the metastable 6³P₀ state. The cross section for this reaction has been measured by a new method. Mercury vapor, in the presence of a known pressure of nitrogen gas, is excited by 2537A radiation. After the source of the excitation is cut off, the decay time of the imprisoned radiation is observed. The quenching collision cross section σQ is calculated from the measured decay time and the known value of the imprisonment time in the absence of the quenching gas. Measurements have been taken over the temperature range 325-525^∘{}K; σQ is found to increase from 5.0×{}10^-17 cm² at the lower temperature to 1.0×{}10^-16 cm² at the upper temperature.