Charge Exchange Cross Sections for Noble Gas Ions and N₂ between 0.2 and 5.0 keV

Abstract

Charge transfer of an electron from a neutral atom to an ion is a fundamental interaction that plays a dominant role in the energy balance of atmospheric and astrophysical plasmas. The present investigation measured the charge exchange cross sections of noble gas ions (He + , Ne + , Ar + , Kr + ) with N 2 in the intermediate energy range 0.2−5.0 keV. The systems were chosen because there remains a lack of consensus amongst previous measurements and regions where there were no previous measurements. A description of the mechanical design for an electrically floated gas cell is described herein.

Keywords

• cross section
• charge exchange
• noble gas ions
• n₂
• molecules
• scattering