THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE VIBRATIONAL-RELAXATION OF NO(UPSILON=1-7) IN COLLISIONS WITH O2 AND N2

The vibrational relaxation rate constants of NO(v = 1-7) by O2 and N2 have been calculated in the temperature range of 300-1000 K using the solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. The calculated relaxation rate constants by 02 increase monotonically with the vibrational energy level v, which is compatible with the experimental data, while those by N2 are nearly independent of v in the range of 3.40 +/- 1.60 X 10(-16) cm3/molecule-sec at 300 K. Those for NO(v) + N2 are about 2-3 orders of magnitude smaller than those for NO(V)+02, because the latter is an exothermic processes while the former an endothermic. Relaxation processes can be interpreted by single-quantum V-V transition. The contributions of V-T/R transition and double-quantum V-V transition to the relaxation are negligible over the entire temperature range.