Rotational and Vibrational Relaxation of Hydrides in Free Jets: HBr and OH

Abstract

The study of the rotational and vibrational relaxation of a molecules in a free jet expansion is of interest for some applications: for example, in aerodynamics [1], in crossed-beam experiments regarding rotationally inelastic cross sections [2], and in studies of state-selected chemical and physical reactions within free jets [3], In addition, data on the rates of rotational-translational (RT) energy transfer at the very low collision energies realized in free jets provide a probe of the anisotropy of the intermolecular potential [4], Such studies are particularly sensitive to the long-range attractive portion of the potential which is difficult to investigate at higher collisional energies.