ELECTRON TRANSFER TO MULTIPLY CHARGED IONS OF Ar, N2, N, AND O2

Abstract

Cross sections for the transfer of one and of two electrons to fast doubly charged ions of Ar, O, N₂, N, and to the triply charged ion of Ar are presented. The 20/02 reaction of Ar⁺⁺ in Ar is resonant and smaller than that for Ar⁺ in Ar. The nonresonant, single-charge transfer process 20/11, even though it is exothermic, required that 12.5 ± 2.0 eV be transferred to the reaction from the kinetic energy of the projectile for the reaction to go. Consequently, the scatter of the fast Ar⁺ products is very large. Similarly, large scatter is observed for the double-electron transfer to Ar⁺⁺⁺ as the ion traverses an argon target. Unlike the above, however, single- and double-electron transfer to O⁺⁺ from O₂ and to N2⁺⁺ from N₂, double transfer from Ar to Ar⁺⁺, and single and triple transfer from Ar to Ar⁺⁺⁺ show but small scatter.