New Investigation of Nitrogen Laser Induced Fluorescence in Formaldehyde. Spectra and Spectrally Resolved Lifetimes.
Abstract
There is a considerable interest in the lifetimes and predissociation mechanisms of the excited formaldehyde molecule, H2CO. Active research is being conducted in the use of this predissociation via selective laser excitation to separate various isotopes of the three atomic species which make up the molecule. In addition, the molecule's comparatively simple structure and a large body of experimental data concerning that structure make it a useful test case for theoretical models. There are also astrophysical applications. The fact that light in the near ultraviolet causes dissociation of formaldehyde with a quantum yield which is close to one makes the molecule a sensitive detector of the radiation environment in the dense interstellar molecular clouds in which it has been observed by radio astronomy. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA059083
Entities
People
- Ralph Ernest Chatham
Organizations
- State University of New York