Measurement of sodium-argon cluster ion recombination by coherent microwave scattering

Journal Article · Mon Mar 12 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3695064· OSTI ID:22025472

Yue, Wu; Sawyer, Jordan; Zhili, Zhang ^[1]; Shneider, Mikhail N ^[2]; Viggiano, Albert A ^[3]

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1. Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee 37996 (United States)
2. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States)
3. Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico 87117 (United States)

This present work demonstrates a non-intrusive measurement of the rate constant for sodium-argon cluster ions (Na{sup +}{center_dot}Ar) recombining with electrons. The measurements begin with resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization of the Na followed by coherent microwave scattering (radar) to monitor the plasma density. The Na{sup +}{center_dot}Ar adduct was formed in a three-body reaction. The plasma decay due to recombination reactions was monitored as a function of time and modeled to determine the rate constant. At 473 K, the rate constant is 1.8{sub -0.5}{sup +0.7}x10{sup -6}cm{sup 3}/s in an argon buffer at 100 Torr and initial Na number density of 5.5 x 10{sup 10} cm{sup -3}.

• OSTI ID: 22025472
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ADDUCTS
ARGON
ARGON IONS
CATIONS
ELECTRON-ION COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
ION PAIRS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MOLECULAR CLUSTERS
MULTI-PHOTON PROCESSES
PHOTOIONIZATION
PLASMA DENSITY
RECOMBINATION
RESONANCE
SCATTERING
SODIUM
SODIUM IONS
THREE-BODY PROBLEM
TIME DEPENDENCE