Angular distributions for the inelastic scattering of NO(XΠ) with O(XΣ).

The inelastic scattering of NO(XΠ) by O(XΣ) was studied at a mean collision energy of 550 cm using velocity-map ion imaging. The initial quantum state of the NO(XΠ, v = 0, j = 0.5, Ω=0.5, 𝜖 = -1, f) molecule was selected using a hexapole electric field, and specific Λ-doublet levels of scattered NO were probed using (1+1) resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization. A modified "onion-peeling" algorithm was employed to extract angular scattering information from the series of "pancaked," nested Newton spheres arising as a consequence of the rotational excitation of the molecular oxygen collision partner. The extracted differential cross sections for NO(X) f→f and f→e Λ-doublet resolved, spin-orbit conserving transitions, partially resolved in the oxygen co-product rotational quantum state, are reported, along with O fragment pair-correlated rotational state population. The inelastic scattering of NO with O is shown to share many similarities with the scattering of NO(X) with the rare gases. However, subtle differences in the angular distributions between the two collision partners are observed.