Abstract
STIMULATED emission at a wave-length of 337µ has been observed1 from pulsed discharges in volatile cyanides in the pressure range 0.1–1.0 mm. No other stimulated emission lines from such sources have been observed so far in our experiments. This is a surprising result when we consider how many transitions are possible in a molecular system. In view of the known high dissociation energy of CN it is plausible to assume that either CN or CN+ is the emitter. We have now recorded the ultra-violet and visible spectra of the discharge using a Hilger large quartz spectrograph. No sign of the band at 3263 Å [f′Σ→a′Σ] characterstic of the CN+ molecule was observed although the ‘Melinex’ windows of the maser are transparent at this wave-length. In fact all the observed bands belonged to the well-known violet and red systems of CN.
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CHANTRY, G., GEBBIE, H. & CHAMBERLAIN, J. A Suggested Mechanism for the 337µ CN Maser. Nature 205, 377 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/205377a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/205377a0
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