WA5 - Laser-excited electronic-to-electronic energy transfer in sodium

Energy-transfer rates for the
E \rightarrow E
process Na(
²
P_{3/2})
+ Na (
²
S_{1/2}) \rightleftarrow
Na (
²
P_{1/2}
) + Na (
²
S_{1/2}) + \DeltaE
= 17.2 cm
^-1
have been measured following direct excitation of specific
²
P
levels with a pulsed tunable dye laser of 10
^-2
-Å linewidth and 5-ns duration. The cross sections for the forward and backward reactions at 272°C have been found by Pitre and Krause to be 250 ± 40 and 480 ± 80 Å, respectively.