Effect of Vibrational and Rotational Exictation on Dissociative Attachment in Hydrogen

Abstract

We report an electron-beam study of dissociative attachment from excited hydrogen in the energy range of 1-5 eV. A marked dependence of ${\mathrm{H}}^{-}$/${\mathrm{H}}_2$ and ${\mathrm{D}}^{-}$/${\mathrm{D}}_2$ cross sections on initial vibrational ($v=0-5\mathrm{}$) and rotational ($j=0-7\mathrm{}$) states is observed. These results provide a new mechanism to interpret the anomalous ${\mathrm{H}}^{-}$ density recently observed in a hydrogen plasma.