MA1 - Laser-excited vibrational energy transfer studies of HF, CO, and NO

An electrically initiated pulsed HF chemical laser has been used to measure vibrational relaxation of HF ( ), CO ( ), and NO ( ) at 295 ± 2 K. The self-relaxation rate of HF highly dilute in argon is torr^-1and is independent of rotational level excitation over laser transitions . The rates at which O2, CO, and NO quench HF( ) have been found to be and s^-1torr^-1, respectively. There is indirect evidence of transfer from HF( ) to the ( ) levels of NO and O2. Through the use of HF ( ) as a collisional pumping source we have measured the deactivation rates of CO ( ) by HF (V → R, T) and N2(V → V) to be 480 ± 25 s^-1torr^-1and 130 ± 15 s^-1torr^-1. Similarly, HF ( ) has been used to pump NO ( ) and the NO self-relaxation rate has been measured to be s^-1torr^-1; this rate is about a factor of 5 faster than would be predicted by the kinetic spectroscopy results of Billingsley and Callear [43].