Investigation of the energy pooling reaction CO(a)+CO(a)/spl rarr/CO/sup +/+CO(X) in optically-excited laser applications

Summary form only given. Three processes related to the efficiency of CO ionization via vibrational up-pumping are the energy pooling reactions CO(a)+CO(a)/spl rarr/CO/sup +/+CO(X), CO(a)+CO(X,/spl nu/\´/spl ges/27)/spl rarr/CO/sup +/+CO(X,/spl nu/") and CO(X,/spl nu/\´/spl ges/27)+CO(X,/spl nu/\´/spl ges/27)/spl rarr/CO/sup +/+CO(X,/spl nu/"). At present it is not clear which of these processes is the dominant pathway for the CO ionization. After completing modifications to the gas phase kinetics and energy transfer laboratory\´s rapidly pumped discharge-flow reactor that has been used to characterize the energy transfer reaction CO(a)+NO(X)/spl rarr/CO(X)+NO(A) and NO(B), we are going to investigate the afore-mentioned processes. First, with a CO(a) detection limit of /spl sim/10/sup 6/ molecules cm/sup -3/ we expect to be able to place an upper limit on the production of the CO/sup +/ in the energy pooling reaction CO(a)+CO(a). Second, time permitting we will investigate the magnitude of the collisional coupling between the CO(a) and CO(X) states using laser-pump probe techniques. Results and progress of this investigation will be presented.