Deactivation and reactions of excited states of Rb in collisions with CH4 and C2H6

Valeriy N. Azyazov; Aleksei P. Torbin; Alexander M. Mebel; Sean Bresler; Michael C. Heaven

doi:10.1117/12.2218119

22 April 2016 Deactivation and reaction of excited states of Rb in collisions with H₂, CH₄ and C₂H₆

Valeriy N. Azyazov, Aleksei P. Torbin, Alexander M. Mebel, Sean Bresler, Michael C. Heaven

Proceedings Volume 9729, High Energy/Average Power Lasers and Intense Beam Applications IX; 972909 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2218119
Event: SPIE LASE, 2016, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Alkali vapor lasers commonly use methane (CH₄) or ethane (C₂H₆) to induce energy transfer between the optically pumped level (n²P_3/2) and the upper laser level (n²P_1/2). A complication is that the alkali metal eventually reacts with the hydrocarbons. The reaction becomes exothermic for alkali atoms that have been excited by energy pooling processes such as Rb(5p)+Rb(5p)→Rb(*)+Rb(5s), where * indicates 6s, 6p or 4d. We have used laser pump-probe methods to examine the reactions of Rb(n²P) with CH₄, and C₂H₆ for states with n=6 and 7. Pump-probe measurements indicated a loss of Rb due to a reaction. Surprisingly, the RbH product was not detected with CH₄, and C₂H₆. High-level ab initio calculations have been used to study the reactive interactions between Rb, methane and ethane.

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Valeriy N. Azyazov, Aleksei P. Torbin, Alexander M. Mebel, Sean Bresler, and Michael C. Heaven "Deactivation and reaction of excited states of Rb in collisions with H₂, CH₄ and C₂H₆", Proc. SPIE 9729, High Energy/Average Power Lasers and Intense Beam Applications IX, 972909 (22 April 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2218119

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