Vibration-vibration pumping of carbon monoxide initiated by an optical source

Abstract

A steady-state nonequilibrium population distribution of the vibrational states of carbon monoxide has been produced by optical pumping. A supersonic flow CO laser was used to excite a flowing mixture of CO which is pressure broadened by argon. A V-V pumped nonequilibrium distribution was measured over the first 30 vibrational states of CO.