Monitoring of the lifetimes of the metastable states in Au in an air-acetylene flame as a probe for local stoichiometric conditions by the laser-enhanced ionization technique

The behaviour of the lifetimes of the metastable 5d⁹ 6s²²D_3/2 and 5d⁹ 6s²²D_5/2 states in Au in an air/acetylene flame has been studied using the step-wise delayed laser-enhanced ionization technique. Using a new, fast and reliable, automated experimental procedure, we have conducted a systematic investigation of the lifetimes for various flame characteristics, namely lateral and vertical position in the flame and flame composition. It was found that the lifetimes of the metastable states are affected by at least three different mechanisms: i) a rather small but almost constant quenching rate, unaffected by the variations in the flame environment; ii) quenching by oxygen, which is proportional to the local partial pressure of oxygen; and iii) quenching by unburned fuel components. We have shown that by monitoring the lifetime of a metastable state as a function of various flame parameters, the conditions for local stoichiometry in the flame can be determined by this technique.