Measurements of XeF (Xenon Fluoride) ground state dissociation and vibrational equilibration

The removal rates of the lower levels of the laser transitions affect the efficiency of the XeF excimer laser performance. We have deduced the removal rates of XeF(X,v) in argon, helium, and neon by measuring the populations of v = 0 and 1 vibrational levels formed by the photolysis of XeF2. The time history of each vibrational population is monitored with a CW tunable dye laser tuned to an absorption feature of the selected vibrational/rotational level. The studies show a rapid vibrational relaxation of v = 0 and v = 1 levels followed by a common decay rate of the two levels. Helium and neon were found to remove these levels with the same rate coefficient of (2.0 + or - 0.2) x 10 to the 4th/(sec-Torr)-1 at room temperature. The rate coefficient for argon were faster by about 25 percent. The removal rate coefficients increased with temperature in the range of 23 to 95 C.