SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF MECHANISMS AND KINETICS OF THERMAL ENERGY REACTIONS OF LONG-LIVED ENERGETIC HELIUM SPECIES WITH SIMPLE MOLECULES
Abstract
An optical spectroscopic technique for determining rate coefficients was developed and utilized for measuring the decrease in energetic helium as a function of added reactant concentration. Relative concentration measurements of the helium species were made by introducing a 'second reactant' to the afterglow and monitoring relative intensities of the resulting spectra. Individual reactions involving single helium species were studied by observing transitions of the second reactant whose upper states were preferentially excited by the energetic helium species to be measured. Rate coefficients were limited to the range of 10 to the -9th power to 10 to the -13th power cc/sec. Penning ionization reactions with metastable He and ion-neutral reactions with He(+) were compared to published values. Overall agreement of the rates reported in these experiments and published values measured by optical absorption and mass spectrometric techniques gives confidence in the general method. In addition, nitrogen spectra selectively excited in a helium afterglow were studied in order to understand details of the excitation processes. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0644814
Entities
People
- Jerry L. Dunn
Organizations
- University of California, Santa Barbara