Penning and associative ionization of mercury by collision with metastable rare gas atoms

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · J. Chem. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.452936· OSTI ID:6237299

Appolloni, L; Brunetti, B; Hermanussen, J; Vecchiocattivi, F; Volpi, G G

The ionization of mercury atoms by thermal energy collisions with metastable neon, argon, and krypton has been studied in a crossed beam experiment. The production of both Hg/sup +/ and RHg/sup +/ (R = Ne, Ar, Kr) ions has been observed and the collision energy dependence of the cross section for each ionization channel has been measured. The experimental relative cross sections have also been analyzed in terms of an optical model. In all cases the main ionic product is the Hg/sup +/ ion. The average relative yield of RHg/sup +/ appears to increase going from neon to krypton. The different role of the two spin--orbit states of the metastable krypton atoms has been assessed: The Kr(/sup 3/P/sub 0/) atoms can produce both Hg/sup +/ and KrHg/sup +/ in the whole energy range investigated, while the Kr(/sup 3/P/sub 2/) atoms can ionize the mercury only for a collision energy larger than --0.15 eV, producing KrHg/sup +/ in the energy range between --0.15 and --0.5 eV, and producing also Hg/sup +/ at energies larger than --0.5 eV.

• Research Organization: Dipartimento di Chimica dell -acute-accent Universita-grave-accent 06100 Perugia, Italy
• OSTI ID: 6237299
• Journal Information: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 87:7; ISSN JCPSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640304* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Collision Phenomena
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ARGON
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOMIC BEAMS
BEAMS
COLLISIONS
CROSS SECTIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
FLUIDS
GASES
IONIZATION
KRYPTON
MERCURY
METALS
METASTABLE STATES
NEON
NONMETALS
PENNING EFFECT
RARE GASES