Effect of blackbody radiation on the threshold for two-electron photodetachment of H/sup -/

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Phys. Rev., A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.22.324· OSTI ID:5273289

Temkin, A

The threshold law of the titled process, which is of the same form as that for electron-impact ionization of H, can experimentally be contaminated by simultaneous single photodetachment and Rydberg excitation of the residual atom, followed by ionization of the Rydberg atom by (room-temperature) blackbody photons. This gives a signal indistinguishable from direct double photodetachment. The correction is here calculated and shown to be finite at the double photodetachment threshold, and to have, possibly, an implication about the form of the threshold law itself. However, at room temperature its contribution is found to be small as it pertains to a recently initiated experiment at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) for available energies greater than a millivolt above threshold. The temperature dependence of the correction is shown to be large (k/sub B/T)/sup 7/2/; thus at higher temperatures the effect may be observable.

• Research Organization: Atomic Physics Office, Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
• OSTI ID: 5273289
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev., A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., A; (United States) Vol. 22:1; ISSN PLRAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640304* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Collision Phenomena
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ANIONS
ATOM COLLISIONS
BLACKBODY RADIATION
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRON DETACHMENT
ELECTRON-ATOM COLLISIONS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN IONS
HYDROGEN IONS 1 MINUS
IONIZATION
IONS
NONMETALS
PHOTOIONIZATION
RADIATIONS