Time-of-Flight Study of Low Energy Charge Transfer Reactions of Ar Ions and Metastable Ar Ions with H₂ Molecules

Abstract

Translational energies of secondary neutral atoms produced by the charge transfer reactions in collisions of argon ions Ar⁺ and metastable argon ions Ar^+M with H₂. molecules have been measured by a time-of-flight technique at ten eV region. Two kinds of charge transfer processes were examined; reaction between ground state reactants Ar⁺+H₂→Ar+H₂⁺, and formation of metastable atoms Ar^M from metastable ions Ar^+M+H₂→Ar^M+H₂⁺. The ground state Ar atoms were predominantly scattered with little or no angular deflection and with little energy exchange, resulting the H₂⁺ in vibrational state v′=1 for Ar⁺(²P_3⁄2) and v′=2 for Ar⁺(²P_1⁄2). On the other hand, the Ar^M atoms were yielded with being deflected in relatively wide angle and releasing considerable amount of internal energy (≥1 eV).