The vibrational dependence of dissociative recombination: Rate constants for N{sub 2}{sup +}
- Institute for Scientific Research, 22 Bonad Road, Winchester, Massachusetts 01890 (United States)
Dissociative recombination rate constants are reported with electron temperature dependent uncertainties for the lowest 5 vibrational levels of the N{sub 2}{sup +} ground state. The rate constants are determined from ab initio calculations of potential curves, electronic widths, quantum defects, and cross sections. At 100 K electron temperature, the rate constants overlap with the exception of the third vibrational level. At and above 300 K, the rate constants for excited vibrational levels are significantly smaller than that for the ground level. It is shown that any experimentally determined total rate constant at 300 K electron temperature that is smaller than 2.0 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 3}/s is likely to be for ions that have a substantially excited vibrational population. Using the vibrational level specific rate constants, the total rate constant is in very good agreement with that for an excited vibrational distribution found in a storage ring experiment. It is also shown that a prior analysis of a laser induced fluorescence experiment is quantitatively flawed due to the need to account for reactions with unknown rate constants. Two prior calculations of the dissociative recombination rate constant are shown to be inconsistent with the cross sections upon which they are based. The rate constants calculated here contribute to the resolution of a 30 year old disagreement between modeled and observed N{sub 2}{sup +} ionospheric densities.
- OSTI ID:
- 22413241
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 141, Issue 20; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-9606
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Dissociative recombination of Ne{sub 2}{sup +} molecular ions
Dissociative recombination of the ground state of N sub 2 sup +