Desorption of excited molecules from solid nitrogen

Abstract

The role of charged centers in radiation-induced phenomena occurring in solid nitrogen irradiated with an electron beam was studied. The experiments were performed employing luminescence method and activation spectroscopy techniques - spectrally resolved thermally stimulated luminescence TSL and thermally stimulated exoelectron emission. To discriminate radiation-induced processes in the bulk and at the surface the samples were probed in depth by varying electron energy. Desorption of excited N2* (C3{\Pi}u) molecule was detected for the first time. The mechanism of this phenomenon based on recombination of electron with intrinsic charged center N4+ was proposed. The key role of N3+ center dissociative recombination in generation of N radicals is suggested.