Molecular Chemiluminescence from Mercury Halides Excited in an Atmospheric-Pressure Active-Nitrogen Afterglow

The potential for using molecular photodissociation processes to obtain population inversions in excited atomic and molecular excimer fragments was first suggested by Zare and Herschbach and later demonstrated by observation of laser action from a variety of species. The relative high efficiency of excimer lasers is now well documented. In all excimer systems in operation, the preferred mode for obtaining highly populated excited states is either from electron beam pumping or from excitation through electrical discharges.