Determination of the Excitation Functions for Formation of Metastable States of Some Rare Gases and Diatomic Molecules by Electron Impact

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Abstract
An apparatus for the determination of the excitation functions for formation of metastable states by impact of electrons of precisely defined energies in the energy range from threshold to the ionization potential is described. Results are given for Ne, Ar, Kr, H2, N2, and CO. Two sharp resonances are observed in each of the rare‐gas excitation functions, which correspond to excitation with electron exchange of the first two excited configurations of these atoms. For diatomic molecules, no such resonances are observed, except in nitrogen, where there is a resonance process with an onset energy of 11.8 eV. A partial explanation for the shapes of the excitation functions is offered, based on the location and character of the various excited triplet states of the molecules studied.