Abstract
The vibrational relaxation frequency of carbon dioxide has been determined by measuring the rate of change of thermal emission in shock waves near 4±3μ. This method of measuring the relaxation frequency depends mainly on the degree of excitation of the asymmetric stretching mode of the molecule, and the results are compared with those of earlier density measurements made in the same shock tube. The gas samples used are not optically thin, and it is shown that self-absorption can be taken into account. The results imply that the relaxation frequency of the asymmetric stretching mode is about 70% of that of the bending mode.

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