A SUGGESTED METHOD FOR STUDYING THE MECHANISM OF ENERGY TRANSFER IN COLLISIONS
It is shown that information can be obtained concerning the nature of the energy transfer process in collisions in which an excited atom (or molecule) A′ transfers its energy of excitation to another atom (or molecule) B,[Formula: see text]by comparing the experimental value of the ratio of the cross section σq and the σex of the inverse process with the theoretical values of this ratio for various modes of excitation of B, which values can be readily obtained from statistical mechanical considerations alone. For example, for the study of the nature of the "quenching" collisions, the ratio σq/σex can be determined from a measurement of the intensity of the radiation emitted by A′ as a function of time. Such measurements are possible with the photomultiplier and electronic timing circuit techniques now available.