Time resolved FTIR emission measurements of the internal energies of NO formed in the O(1D) + N2O reaction, and energy transfer processes to N2O

Abstract

Time resolved infrared emission from the fundamental and first overtone transitions of NO(v = 1–14), produced in the reaction of N₂O with O(¹D) has been analysed to determine the nascent vibrational distribution of NO. The electronically excited O atom was produced by the 193 nm laser photolysis of N₂O. The measured vibrational distribution was found to be monotonically decreasing as a function of increasing v. Lower limits were determined for the average nascent rotational energy in v = 1–6, ranging from 4660 cm⁻¹ (v = 1) to 3050 cm⁻¹ (v = 6). Emission from N₂O(011) was also observed and found to be attributable to energy transfer from internally excited N₂ formed by photolysis of N₂O. The relative yields of NO(v) and N₂O(011) provided indirect evidence for a yield of at least 3.5% for N₂(v = 1) produced by 193 nm photolysis of N₂O.