Formation and quenching of XeF* in Ne/Xe/F2 mixtures

Abstract

Recent laser results in XeF* show a considerable improvement when the Ar buffer is replaced by Ne. In this letter we report on the investigations of the formation and quenching processes in typical laser mixtures of Ne/Xe/F2. From our experimental observations, it appears that the Ne ions formed by the fast electrons do not form Xe+ by a direct charge transfer. We have also determined that the two-body quenching of XeF* by Ne is negligible, while the three-body quenching rate constant is 2.5×10−33 cm6/sec. Finally, the three-body quenching rate constant for XeF*+Xe+Ne is 7.8×10−31 cm6/sec.