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) FOR ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES.
MICHAEL C. HEAVEN, Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; VALERIY N. AZYAZOV, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Samara Branch, Samara, Russia, 443029.
Rapid quenching of O2(a1
) in O(3P)/O2/O3 mixtures has been observed using 248 nm laser photolysis of ozone to produce oxygen atoms and O2(a1
) molecules. Collisional removal of O2(a1
) was found to be correlated with the presence of O atoms. The kinetics indicate that vibrationally excited ozone is an important O2(a1
) quenching agent in O(3P)/O2/O3 systems. The impact of this quenching channel on the O2(a1
) and O3 levels in the atmosphere will be discussed.