CHEMI-IONIZATION IN COLLISIONS OF METASTABLE NEON WITH XENON

Absolute and relative cross sections were obtained for the associative-ionization (AI) reaction Ne* + Xe→NeXe+ + e and the Penning-ionization (PI) reaction Ne* + Xe→Ne + Xe+ + e. The studies were made by a merging-beams technique for a relative kinetic energy of the reactants from nominally 0.01 to 0.3 eV for AI and 0.01 to 10 eV for PI. The Ne* represents a composite of Ne(3s3P2) and Ne(3s3P0). Relative cross sections are compared with those measured by other investigators and with values obtained in this laboratory for the Ne*-Ar and Ne*-Kr systems. At thermal energy the absolute cross section and rate coefficient for total ionization are compared with values obtained by other techniques. © 1979 American Institute of Physics.