Resonant excitation of a new valence state in N2 by electron impact

A new valence state which lies below the first Rydberg state has been observed in N₂, in the 11.3 to 12.1 eV energy range, using an electron impact technique. This state is only excited from 1.3 to ～3 eV above its threshold through a short lived resonance. Some levels are not clearly resolved but their presence is deduced from the resonant profiles of their differential cross sections. A perturbation in the relative intensities of the C³Π_u vibrational levels is observed when this new state is excited.