Raman analysis of SF6 molecular beams excited by a cw CO2 laser

In a molecular beam the effects of vibrational pumping of SF₆ (ν₃ = 948 cm^?1) are studied, using a line-tunable cw CO₂ laser. Intracavity spontaneous Raman scattering is used for analysis. For excitation in the collision regime (x_E/D ≤ 1), a thermal redistribution of the ν₃ excitation over all vibrational modes is found, together with an average absorption up to six photons per molecule. The infrared absorption profile shows a red-shift of 6 cm^?1. For excitation in the relatively rare collision regime (x_E/D ? 4), a structured non-thermal ν₁ Raman spectrum is observed, especially in the case of seeded molecular beams (10% in He). The observed hot-band peaks can be explained in terms of single-photon absorptions and collision-induced near-resonant V-V energy transfer, leading to single, double and triple excitations of the ν₃ mode. The value of T_rot in the beam is found to influence sensitively the non-resonant energy-transfer rate e.g. hν₃(948 cm^?1)+ΔE_rot → h(ν₄ + ν₆)(962 cm^?1) relative to the near-resonant transfer rate (hν₃ + hν₃ → 2hν₃ + 3.5 cm^?1)].