Retarding Potential Measurements of Electrons Photoemitted by N2, CO, and O2

Abstract

Retarding potential measurements have been made on electrons emitting during the photoionization of N2, O2, and CO. More than half of the ions produced by radiation in the 700 to 500 Å interval were observed to be in states of electronic excitation. Vibrational excitation of the ground states of CO+ and O2+ occurred in the wavelength intervals between the first and second ionization potentials. Part of the excitation of vibrational states was attributed to autoionization phenomena.