Λ Doublet Propensities in Ar−NO Rotationally Inelastic Scattering at 220 meV

Abstract

Collisions between argon and nitric oxide were studied in crossed supersonic beams. Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization was used to determine postcollision relative densities of many rotational, spin−orbit, and Λ doublet states. A double-beam reference technique was used to compensate for possible saturation in the REMPI probe. A preference for the production of the Π( A ‘ ‘) Λ doublet component was observed in both final spin−orbit states. Quantum scattering calculations on the potential surfaces of Alexander ( J. Chem. Phys. 1993, 99, 7725) agree well with the Λ doublet propensity but underestimate the observed probability for spin−orbit-changing collisions.