RARE GAS LIGHT SOURCES FOR MOLECULAR ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY IX THE VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET

Author Institution: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory“The emission continua of xenon, krypton, and argon exited by microwave power have been further developed for use in photoelectric recording of absorption spectra at low resolution and also photographically at high resolution. The theory of production of the three continua in the regions 1050-1130 {\AA} (Ar), 1250-1550 {\AA} (Kr) and 1500-2000 {\AA} (Xe), will be discussed and the conditions for their use in higher orders of a concave grating will be described. New high resolution photographs of the absorption spectra of $N_{2} O_{2}$ and $H_{2}O$ obtained hi the fifth order of a 21-ft concave grating in the region 1050-1300 {\AA} will be shown and interpreted. It will be demonstrated that the photoelectric recording of absorption spectra using the rate gas continua is both feasible and very useful for intensity studies.