Kinetics of inversion loss in a laser utilizing the first negative nitrogen system

The luminescence due to the 0–0 transition in the first negative system of nitrogen under conditions of quasi-cw excitation of He–N₂ and He–N₂–H₂ mixtures by a 1.5 μs electron beam was used to study the main processes resulting in loss of the inversion in a N₂⁺ (B–X) laser. Binary collisions, mainly with helium atoms, were found to play a decisive role. It was established that deactivation of the upper and lower active states by hydrogen was highly selective.