Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Electron detachment in Na/sup -/, K/sup -/--rare-gas collisions

Journal Article · · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)
Absolute total cross sections for electron detachment have been measured for collisions of Na/sup -/ and K/sup -/ with rare gases at relative collision energies ranging from a few eV to about 200 eV. These alkali-metal anions, which are characterized by angularly correlated ns/sup 2/ electrons, are observed to be extremely stable with respect to collisional electron detachment. For the Na/sup -/-Ne and K/sup -/-Ar,Kr,Xe systems, the salient features of the detachment cross sections are described by a simple curve-crossing model. Cross sections for Na/sup -/-He,Ar,Kr,Xe and K/sup -/-He,Ne remain small (<0.5 A/sup 2/) throughout the energy range studied. Striking similarities are observed between the energy dependence of these detachment cross sections and that of the cross sections for projectile excitation which results from neutral-alkali-metal--rare-gas collisions.
Research Organization:
Department of Physics, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
OSTI ID:
5604314
Journal Information:
Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. A; (United States) Vol. 32:1; ISSN PLRAA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English