Chemical Physics Letters, Vol.318, No.4-5, 385-392, 2000
The NO vibrational state distribution in the reaction O(D-1)+N2O -> 2NO
The vibrational distribution of NO products from the reaction O(D-1)+ N2O --> 2NO has been measured from v = 0 to v = 12. The measurement was performed in a molecular beam apparatus, in which the product NO was rotationally but not vibrationally cooled. The measured NO vibrational population is found to be peaked at v = 7, with average vibrational energy between 24000 and 28 000 cm(-1) much greater than previously reported. The vibrational distribution presented in this Letter is inconsistent with the dominance of either a shipping or a statistical mechanism producing a substantial fraction of the product NO.