Vacuum ultraviolet excitation of N2 by low energy electrons: Polarization and excitation-function measurements

Polarization data are presented for both atomic and molecular emissions excited following electron impact on N2. Significant polarization fractions near threshold are observed for the molecular emissions but only qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions is obtained. Atomic emissions are unpolarized with the exception of the 124.3 nm transition. Relative excitation functions are derived from the polarization data and are compared with previous optical and electron scattering data.