Excitation and quenching of ultraviolet nitrogen bands in the mixture of N2 and O2 molecules

Total quenching rate coefficients of three singlet and three triplet states of molecular nitrogen in the collisions with O₂ molecules are calculated on the basis of quantum-chemical approximations. The calculated rate coefficients of electronic quenching of N₂^? molecules are compared with the available experimental data. An influence of collisional processes on vibrational populations of electronically excited N₂(a¹Π_g) and N₂(A³Σ_u⁺) molecules is studied for conditions of laboratory discharge in N₂ and O₂ at admixtures of molecular oxygen 0%-20% for the pressures 1-1000 Pa. It is indicated that molecular collisions cause changes in relative populations of vibrational levels of these states and intensity relations of ultraviolet bands of N₂ with rise in the pressure and the O₂ admixture.