Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
Abstract:
Absorption and fluorescent scattering of nitrogen laser radiation by a low-pressure RF laboratory plasma (ne = 1012 cm−3) has been observed for the first negative system of N2+. A 67±1 ns lifetime of N2+ (B 2Σu+) was experimentally measured from the laser-induced fluorescence. In addition, enough collisionally excited N2 (B 3Πg) was produced to observe laser-induced fluorescence for the second positive system of N2. The lifetime of N2 (C 3Πu) was found to be 41±2 ns. The measured lifetimes are in good agreement with published values calculated from theory.