Chemical Physics Letters, Vol.329, No.1-2, 42-46, 2000
Measurement of quenching rates of CO(a(3)Pi, v=0) using laser pump-and-probe technique
Measurements are presented of rates of electronic quenching of CO(a, upsilon = 0) by several gases. A pump-and-probe technique is used: CO(a) is created by pumping the spin-forbidden (a-X) transition at 206 nm. Measured rate coefficients at room temperature are k(Q)(CO) = 5.7 +/- 1.2, k(Q)(NO) = 17 +/- 6, k(Q)(N-2) = 1.4 +/- 0.6, k(Q)(O-2) = 6 +/- 2, k(Q),(H-2) = 2.6 +/- 1.0, k(Q)(H2O) = 33 +/- 12 in units of 10(-11) cm(3) s(.)(-1)