Population and relaxation kinetics of the 5d[3/2]1 level upon pulsed electron-beam excitation of pure xenon

The time dependences of the spontaneous emission intensity at the 5d[3/2]₁ → 6p[3/2]₁ and 5d[3/2]₁ → 6p[5/2]₂ transitions at 2.03 and 1.73 μm, respectively, are studied in the pressure range from 0.1 to 100 Torr upon excitation by a nanosecond electron beam. It is shown that the population and relaxation of the 5d[3/2]₁ level under these conditions is determined by its excitation and quenching by electrons of a recombining plasma. No plasma-chemical processes populating this level, in particular, a channel of formation of a molecular Xe₂⁺ ion was found. The lifetime of the 5d[3/2]₁ state of Xe atoms in the pressure range from 0.5 to 5 Torr is about 1 ns.