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Title: Interference effects in double ionization of spatially aligned hydrogen molecules by fast highly charged ions

Journal Article · · Physical Review. A
; ;  [1];  [2]; ; ; ;  [3];  [4]
  1. Department of Physics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57197 (United States)
  3. J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan Kansas 66506 (United States)
  4. Physics Department Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118 (United States)

Cross sections differential in target orientation angle were measured for 19 MeV F{sup 8+}+D{sub 2} collisions. Multihit position-sensitive detectors were used to isolate the double-ionization channel and determine a posteriori the full momentum vectors of both ejected D{sup +} fragments. A strong dependence of the double ionization cross section on the angle between the incident ion direction and the target molecular axis is observed with a {approx_equal}3.5:1 enhancement for molecules aligned perpendicular to the projectile axis. This clear asymmetry is attributed to interference effects, analogous to Young's two-slit experiment, arising from coherent contributions to the ionization from both atomic centers. The data are compared to a simple scattering model based on two center interference.

OSTI ID:
20646362
Journal Information:
Physical Review. A, Vol. 70, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.70.042702; (c) 2004 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English