Radiative lifetimes, vibrational band strengths, relaxation mechanisms, and electronic transfer rate constants for the perturbed (CO(a′3Σ+, υ′ = 31 and 35) levels

One-photon, laser-induced fluorescence has been used to study the CO(a′3Σ+, υ′ = 31 and 35), states which are strongly perturbed over a range of low rotational levels by the CO(b 3Σ+, υ′ = 0 and 1) states, respectively. The effects of these perturbations on the radiative lifetimes, the radiative branching to the CO(a 3Π, υ″) levels, and the collisional relaxation of these CO(a′ and b) states in He are discussed. The CO(b 3Σ+, ν′ = 0, 1) and CO(a′ 3Σ+, υ′ = 31, 35) molecules were generated by pulsedlaser excitation from metastable CO(a 3Π) molecules that were prepared by a dc discharge through a flow of CO2 in He.