The process ${\mathrm{Na}}^{*}\left(3\mathrm{}{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}P\right)+{\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{}(v=0\mathrm{})+E_{\mathrm{kin}}\to \mathrm{Na}\left(3\mathrm{}{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}S\right)+{\mathrm{N}}_2\left(v^{\prime }\right)+{E_{\mathrm{kin}}}^{\prime }$ has been studied at incident thermal energies. The measurements show that this process is typically nonresonant with respect to electronic to vibrational energy transfer, but show predominantly a population of the $v^{\prime }=3, 4$ vibrational levels of the ${\mathrm{N}}_2$ molecule after the collision.

• Received 29 December 1975

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.36.861