Generation of vibrationally excited H/sub 2/ molecules by H/sub 2//sup +/ wall collisions

Conference · Fri Nov 11 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5667534

Hiskes, J R; Karo, A M

The H/sub 2//sup +/ ions from the volume of a hydrogen discharge will strike the discharge chamber walls with a kinetic energy equivalent to the plasma potential. A three-step process is described in which the H/sub 2//sup +/ ions are neutralized in a two-stage Auger process followed by a third stage wall relaxation collision, with the net result that the incident ions are converted to ground state molecules having a broad vibrational excitation spectrum. For kinetic energies ranging from a few electron volts up to twenty electron volts a substantial fraction, approx. = 2/3, of these ions will reflect as molecules, and of this population a fraction as large as twenty percent will have vibrational excitation of v'' greater than or equal to 6. This large vibrational population will provide a contribution to the total excited level distribution that is comparable to the E-V process. Implications for negative ion generation in an optimized tandem configuration are discussed.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5667534
• Report Number(s): UCRL-89993; CONF-831180-3; ON: DE84003021
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640301* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Beams & their Reactions
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AUGER EFFECT
BEAM NEUTRALIZATION
CATIONS
CHARGE EXCHANGE
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
HYDROGEN IONS
HYDROGEN IONS 2 PLUS
ION COLLISIONS
IONS
MOLECULAR IONS
VIBRATIONAL STATES
WALL EFFECTS