M-dependence of collisional transfer of rotational energy in OCS mixtures

Collision-induced transitions between rotational levels of OCS in the ground vibrational state have been investigated by steady-state microwave double resonance, with the M sublevels separated by a Stark field. The (2 ← 1)_P-(1 ← 0)_S, (3 ← 2)_P-(1 ← 0)_S, and (4 ← 3)_P-(1 ← 0)_S systems have been studied for pure OCS and for mixtures with excess CH₃OH, He, and H₂. For four-level systems having dipolar connections (ΔJ = 1; ΔM = 0, ± 1; parity ± ? ?) between pump and signal levels, it is found for OCS and the OCS-CH₃OH mixture that the dipole-type ΔJ = 1 transitions always dominate the collisional transfer, but for the OCS-He and OCS-H₂ mixtures that ΔJ = 2 quadrupole-type transitions are dominant. For all four collision partners, significant ΔJ = 2 and ΔJ = 3 collisional transfer is observed in some systems, indicating the presence of high-order terms in the collisional interaction.