The NO vibrational state distribution in the reaction O(1D)+N2O → 2NO

The vibrational distribution of NO products from the reaction O(1D)+N2O → 2NO has been measured from v=0 to v=12. The measurement was performed in a molecular beam apparatus, in which the product NO was rotationally but not vibrationally cooled. The measured NO vibrational population is found to be peaked at v=7, with average vibrational energy between 24 000 and 28 000 cm−1, much greater than previously reported. The vibrational distribution presented in this Letter is inconsistent with the dominance of either a stripping or a statistical mechanism producing a substantial fraction of the product NO.