A laser-induced fluorescence and information-theory investigation of energy transfer processes in benzene-argon collisions

• Published in: The Journal of chemical physics 1985-01, Vol.82 (2), p.810-821
• Main Authors: LYMAN, J. L, MÜLLER, G, HOUSTON, P. L, PILTCH, M, SCHMID, W. E, KOMPA, K. L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atomic and molecular collision processes and interactions; Atomic and molecular physics; Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Scattering of atoms, molecules and ions
• ISSN: 0021-9606; 1089-7690
• DOI: 10.1063/1.448507

This paper reports the results of an extensive study of the internal energy-transfer processes that occur in benzene–argon collisions. We used laser-induced fluorescence and information theory for determining the energy-transfer rates between internal states of benzene in the ground electronic state (1A1g). The method provides an estimate for the rate of rotational relaxation. It gives a measure of the fraction of molecules that absorb the laser radiation at a frequency near the center of the ν18 absorption band of benzene. The use of information theory gives estimates for all of the vibrational energy transfer rates. These fit the experimental data reasonably well. However, some of the data do deviate from the information theory model. This suggests that the statistical assumptions of the model are not sufficiently restrictive. One such restriction may be in the number of vibration quanta changing per collision..