DISSOCIATIVE ELECTRON-CAPTURE IN AR8+/N-2 COLLISIONS

Single and multiple electron capture processes are studied in slow (200-400 eV/amu) collisions between Ar8+ and molecular nitrogen. The amount of dissociative charge transfer reactions is determined as well as kinetic energies of the ionic fragments of N-2(q+) (q = 1-6) ions. Dissociation energies are obtained from the kinetic energies of the molecular fragments. The following results are obtained: 7% of single electron capture leads to dissociation of N-2(+) into N + N+ and nearly 90% of the double electron capture results in fragmentation into N+ + N+. If more than two electrons are captured, all N-2(q+) ions dissociate into N-r+ + N5+. For even values of q we observed r = s, otherwise r = s + 1; i.e. the maximum difference between r and s is 1. A near symmetric charge distribution among the resulting atomic ions is preferred.