Enhancement by helium and argon of the formation rate of the 1720-Å-radiating states of Xe*2 excited by an E beam

Abstract
Helium and argon added to xenon are shown to increase markedly the formation rate of e‐beam excited Xe*2 (1720‐Å radiator) without decreasing the 1720‐Å fluorescence efficiency. The measured association rate is interpreted in terms of three‐body collisions among excited xenon atoms, ground state xenon atoms, and the added gas atoms to give rate constants of 5.0×10−32, 1.4×10−32, and 2.3×10−32 cm6 sec−1 for undiluted xenon, added helium, and added argon, respectively.