Abstract
The 1933 Å ArF excimer laser has been used to directly time resolve the vibrational relaxation of 14N16O, 15N16O, and 14N18O into the v=0 B 2Π1/2 and v=0 a 4Π5/2 states in solid Ar host. A weak ’’conventional’’ istope effect is observed, with the smaller vibrational quanta tending to relax faster. However, the rates do not strictly correlate with either the isotopic reduced mass or the asymmetry of vibration. The host lattice phonons may directly accept energy during these relaxation processes. Intersystem crossing between v=0 B 2Π and v=8 a 4Π is shown to involve the individual spin orbit components of a 4Π.