Excitation Processes in Molecular Nitrogen

Abstract

IN controlled electron experiments it has been usually assumed¹ that in the emission of the triplet bands of molecular nitrogen, transitions to the upper levels of the band systems concerned come about directly as a result of collisions of the first kind between molecules in the ground-state X¹Σ⁺_g and fast electrons. A further assumption made is that the energy values of the upper states of the bands concerned are the voltages at which they respectively appear when excited by an electron beam of controlled energy. These assumptions lead to the placing of the triplet-levels approximately 2 volts higher than the normally accepted values based on reliable spectroscopic evidence ². In particular, the A³Σ-⁺_u level would be placed about 2 volts above the value suggested by the analysis of the Vegard - Kaplan bands.