Excited state dynamics of C2O(A3Πi)

The fluorescence decay and bimolecular electronic quenching behavior of C₂O ($\text{A}$³Π_i) is reported. C₂O($\text{X}$³Σ^?) is produced by laser photolysis of C₃O₂ at 266 nm and is subsequently excited by a tunable flashlamp pumped dye laser. The fluorescence decay is highly nonexponential and dominated by both short (≈ 15 μs) and long (50–250 μs) decay components. The long-lived emission, itself, is nonexponential. The fluorescence decay is modeled as the sum of three exponential components. The short-lived emission is quenched by C₃O₂ at higher than the gas kinetic rate while the long-lived fluorescence is quenched much less efficiently. Fluorescence quenching measurements are also reported for collisions with Ar, N₂ and O₂.