Electronic energy transfer between metastable argon atoms and ground-state oxygen atoms

Abstract

We have measured the rate constants for excitation of the 3p³P and 3s³S states of atomic oxygen by metastable Ar(³P_2,0) to be (7.6 ± 2.6) and (8.2 ± 2.5)× 10^–11 cm³ molecule^–1 s^–1, respectively. Using a vacuum ultraviolet absorption technique we have also determined a translational energy of ca 0.4 eV for O(3s³S). The coincidence of the two rate-constant measurements and the results of the translational-energy measurement shows that the electronic energy-transfer reaction between Ar^*(³P_0,2) and O(2p⁴³P) excites primarily O(3p³P) and that >90% of the O(3s³S) excitation is by radiative cascade.