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Excitation processes in collisions of He/sup +/ ions with N/sub 2/ molecules

Journal Article · · Sov. Phys. - Tech. Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)
OSTI ID:5173938

The cross sections for visible emission at the intense lines of helium, the nitrogen atom and ion, and the cross sections for emission in the first negative band system (the transition B/sub u//sup +/..sigma../sup +//sub u/--X/sup 2/..sigma../sup +//sub g/) of the N/sup +//sub 2/ ion are measured for He/sup +/ energies from 0.2 to 10 keV. The results show that at helium ion energies in the range 5--10 keV the N/sup +//sub 2/ ions are formed primarily in the B/sup 2/..sigma../sup +//sub u/ state. The predominant mechanism is charge exchange involving the capture of an electron to the ground state of the helium atom. Excited helium atoms are formed with a high probability in the course of dissociative charge exchange. The excitation of atomic nitrogen ions results from cascade transitions from high-lying levels, which are populated because of Rydberg states of the molecular ion N/sup +//sub 2/.

Research Organization:
A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad
OSTI ID:
5173938
Journal Information:
Sov. Phys. - Tech. Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. Phys. - Tech. Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 24:11; ISSN SPTPA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English