Laser-Based Spectroscopic Detection of Photolytic Rare Gas Complexes

Abstract

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in laser-based spectroscopic studies of jet-cooled complexes.1,2 However, much of this work centered on rare-gas (RG) closed shell complexes. We have constructed an apparatus that will allow us to study supersonically cooled photolysis products including rare-gas open shelled complexes. The apparatus consists of a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer with access to LIF diagnostics. As a test case, we have investigated jet-cooled NO-rare gas generated from the supersonic expansion of a NO/Ar mixture and the 193 nm photolysis of NO2/Ar in an extender channel off a pulsed nozzle. The complexes were detected by laser induced fluorescence (LIF) and by (1 + 1) resonance-multiphoton ionization (REMPI) via the A2E+ ← X2Π1/2,3/2 transition near 226 nm.