Collisional Deactivation of CO (a 3Π)

Using a weak, pulsed, Tesla-type discharge, the (a 3Π) v′= 0, 1 states of CO were generated and their rate coefficients for deactivation by CO and NO were measured by observing the time decay of the (0, 0) and (1, 0) CO Cameron bands. The rate constants for quenching of the v′= 0, 1 levels of CO (a 3Π) were found to be k0=1.2×10−10 and k1=2.8×10−10 cm3/ (sec·molecule). Quenching by NO gave k0′= 3.1×10−10 and k1′= 7.0×10−10 cm3/ (sec·molecule), with an error limit of ±25 % on all four numbers. The efficiencies of energy transfer between CO (a 3Π) v′= 0, 1 and NO to give NO (A 2Σ) v′= 0, 1, respectively, were determined by measuring the decay rates and intensities of the (0, 2) and (1, 3) NO gamma bands and the (0, 0) and (1, 0) Cameron bands for a fixed concentration of CO and NO. The efficiencies were found to be g0=15 % and g1=25 %, with an error limit of ±10 %.