Inelastic collisions between excited sodium atoms and molecules.

P^2P3/2 m ^-x^n8 *n sodium vapour, induced by inelastic collisions with the diatomic molecules HD, and N^, was studied using techniques of sensitized fluorescence.The mixtures of sodium vapour with the various molecular gases were irradiated with one component of the appropriate resonance doublet.The fluorescence which contained both components of the doublet, was monitored at right angles to the direction of excitation.The measurement of the relative intensities of the fluorescent components 2 yielded the total inelastic cross sections for P mixing, Ql2(2Pi/2---> 2p3/2^ and ^21^2pi/2^---' 2p3/2^* The sodium vaPour *n 5. Cross Sections for 3 P. ---3 P. Mixing Induced by Sodium Molecule Collisions.38 6. Cross Sections for Excitation Transfer in Na-Molecule Collisions, together with the Corresponding Relative Velocity of the Colliding Partners 42 2 2 7. Comparison of the Cross Sections for P. ---^-s/o Mixing Induced by Alkali Atom-Molecule Collisions 43 vi