On N2(C3Πu, v = 0) state lifetime and collisional deactivation rate by N2

We have applied optical–optical double resonance laser induced fluorescence (OODR-LIF) to the measurement of N2(C3Πu, v = 0) state lifetime and electronic quenching by N2 in the pressure range from 10−2 to 35 Torr. The OODR process starts from the N2 ( A 3 Σ u + , v = 0) metastable produced in a small dielectric barrier discharge. The arrangement is free of both resonance trapping and cascade processes. We have found a lifetime of (36.63 ± 0.29) ns and an electronic quenching rate coefficient that depends on the pressure range, but in a much milder fashion than reported in the literature.