THE PHOTOREACTION N2O-]O(1D) + N2(1-SIGMA) AT 193 NM STUDIED BY PHOTOFRAGMENT TRANSLATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY

Polarized laser photodissociation of N2O at 193 nm, investigated by the time-of-flight, crossed laser-molecular-beam method, generates the fragments N2(1-SIGMA-g+) and O(1D2) with an average translational energy of 26.8 kcal/mol (42% E(avl)), corresponding to an average internal energy of N2 of 37.6 kcal/mol (58% E(avl)), where E(avl) is the available energy. A substantial part of the latter consists of rotational energy, most likely due to the bent excited electronic state of N2O. The recoil anisotropy parameter was measured to be beta = 0.48 +/- 0.2.