Effects of quenching on electronic-resonance-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering of nitric oxide

We investigate the effects of gas-mixture composition on the electronic-resonance-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (ERE-CARS) signals of nitric oxide (NO). From previous laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) studies, quenching rates are known to change drastically, by factors of 400–800, in mixtures of CO2∕O2∕N2. The observed ERE-CARS signal remains constant to within 30% whereas LIF signals from NO are predicted to decrease by more than two orders of magnitudes in the same environments. This is very significant for using NO ERE-CARS in high-pressure combustion environments where the electronic quenching rate can vary rapidly as a function of both space and time.