Coincidence studies of quasimolecular electron emission in 700-keVAr2+-Kr collisions

Abstract

Continuum electron emission following 700-keV ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{2+}$-Kr collisions has been investigated by detecting electrons in coincidence with projectile ions scattered through laboratory angles between 5° and 20°. From the analysis of the experimental data in terms of quasimolecular Auger-electron emission, molecular-orbital binding energies at small internuclear distances as well as collision-broadening parameters have been inferred. The results indicate that the electron emission is dominated by the decay of 4sσ and 4pπ vacancies in the highly charged Ar-Kr quasimolecule. The analysis also reveals the presence of an exponentially decreasing high-energy tail of the spectra, which cannot be ascribed to quasimolecular Auger electrons and which has not been taken into account in previous analyses.