Rainer A. Dressler

Xenon charge exchange cross sections for electrostatic thruster models

Charge exchange between xenon ions and xenon atoms is the source of a detrimental low energy plasma in the vicinity of electrostatic spacecraft thrusters. Proper modeling of charge-exchange induced spacecraft interactions requires knowledge of the respective charge-exchange cross sections. Guided-ion beam measurements and semiclassical calculations are presented for xenon atom charge-exchange collisions with Xe+ and Xe2+ at energies per ion charge ranging from 1 to 300 eV. The present measurements for the symmetric Xe++Xe exchange system are in good agreement with several earlier experimental studies and semiclassical calculations based on the most recently computed Xe2+ interaction potentials. The cross sections are ∼30% higher than predictions by the Rapp and Francis model [D. Rapp and W. E. Francis, J. Chem. Phys. 37, 2631 (1962)]. The present Xe2++Xe symmetric charge exchange measurements are the first to cover the ion energy range from 40 to 600 eV. The cross sections are in good agreement with low-e...

Passive Optical Diagnostic of Xe-Propelled Hall Thrusters. II. Collisional-Radiative Model

A collisional radiative model is presented for analyzing the xenon-propelled Hall thruster optical radiation based on apparent electron and ion-impact emission cross sections associated with lines in the visible and near-infrared region of the spectrum. The emission cross sections of selected near-infrared emission lines are incorporated in a collisional-radiative model. The effect of stepwise excitation via metastable states on the derived line intensities for emissions from XeI 5p56p(6p′) levels is evaluated. Meanwhile, visible XeII emissions are shown to provide plasma densities at high electron temperature conditions. The electron temperature and spatial ion number density distribution were determined from the luminescence spectra measured in the discharge and plume near-field plasma of the Hall thruster, the TSNIIMASH D-55 anode layer thruster. The results are in good agreement with the probe measurement data and simulations reported in the literature for the same thruster. The analysis of the Hall t...

Passive optical diagnostic of Xe-propelled Hall thrusters. I. Emission cross sections

This paper presents a set of xenon apparent emission excitation cross sections for emission lines that have diagnostic value in the analysis of Xe-propelled Hall thruster plasmas. Emission cross sections are presented for three excitation processes involving ground-state xenon atoms: e−+Xe, Xe++Xe, and Xe2++Xe. The cross sections are derived from luminescence spectra produced at single-collision conditions. Apparent emission excitation cross sections are tabulated for 12 visible and 8 near-infrared lines for electron energies ranging from 10to70eV. In case of the near-infrared lines, radiation trapping effects are accounted for by measuring the detailed pressure dependence of the apparent emission cross sections and extrapolating to zero pressure. A semiempirical expression for the pressure dependence is derived that allows zero-pressure extrapolation from threshold to 70eV. Ion-induced cross sections are reported for the same emission lines at an energy per unit charge E∕q of 300eV, chosen for typical Ha...

A pulsed-field ionization photoelectron secondary ion coincidence study of the H2+(X,υ+=0–15,N+=1)+He proton transfer reaction

The endothermic proton transfer reaction, H2+(upsilon+)+He-->HeH+ + H(DeltaE=0.806 eV), is investigated over a broad range of reactant vibrational levels using high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet to prepare reactant ions either through excitation of autoionization resonances, or using the pulsed-field ionization-photoelectron-secondary ion coincidence (PFI-PESICO) approach. In the former case, the translational energy dependence of the integral reaction cross sections are measured for upsilon+=0-3 with high signal-to-noise using the guided-ion beam technique. PFI-PESICO cross sections are reported for upsilon+=1-15 and upsilon+=0-12 at center-of-mass collision energies of 0.6 and 3.1 eV, respectively. All ion reactant states selected by the PFI-PESICO scheme are in the N+=1 rotational level. The experimental cross sections are complemented with quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations performed on the ab initio potential energy surface provided by Palmieri et al. [Mol. Phys. 98, 1839 (2000)]. The QCT cross sections are significantly lower than the experimental results near threshold, consistent with important contributions due to resonances observed in quantum scattering studies. At total energies above 2 eV, the QCT calculations are in excellent agreement with the present results. PFI-PESICO time-of-flight (TOF) measurements are also reported for upsilon+=3 and 4 at a collision energy of 0.6 eV. The velocity inverted TOF spectra are consistent with the prevalence of a spectator-stripping mechanism.

A state-selected study of the H+2(X,v+ = 0 - 17,N+ = 1) + Ne proton transfer reaction using the pulsed-field ionization-photoelectron-secondary ion coincidence scheme

The endothermic proton transfer reaction, H2+(v+,N+=1)+Ne→NeH++H(ΔH=0.54 eV), is investigated over a broad range of reactant vibrational energies using the pulsed-field ionization–photoelectron–secondary ion coincidence (PFI–PESICO) scheme. For the lowest vibrational levels, v+=0 and 1, a detailed translational energy dependence is also presented using a continuous approach for preparing reactant ions with monochromatic VUV. Sharp threshold onsets are observed, suggesting the importance of long-lived intermediates or resonances. At a translational energy, ET=0.7 eV, absolute state-selected reaction cross sections are measured for all reactant vibrational levels v+=0–17. For levels v+=0–6, the cross sections grow rapidly with vibrational quantum, above which the cross sections saturate at a value of ∼13±4 A2. At levels v+>13, the cross sections decline, probably due to competition with the dissociation channel. At a translational energy, ET=1.7 eV, absolute state-selected reaction cross sections are measur...

The study of state-selected ion-molecule reactions using the vacuum ultraviolet pulsed field ionization-photoion technique

This paper presents the methodology to generate beams of ions in single quantum states for bimolecular ion-molecule reaction dynamics studies using pulsed field ionization (PFI) of atoms or molecules in high-n Rydberg states produced by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron or laser photoexcitation. Employing the pseudocontinuum high-resolution VUV synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Light Source as the photoionization source, PFI photoions (PFI-PIs) in selected rovibrational states have been generated for ion-molecule reaction studies using a fast-ion gate to pass the PFI-PIs at a fixed delay with respect to the detection of the PFI photoelectrons (PFI-PEs). The fast ion gate provided by a novel interleaved comb wire gate lens is the key for achieving the optimal signal-to-noise ratio in state-selected ion-molecule collision studies using the VUV synchrotron based PFI-PE secondary ion coincidence (PFI-PESICO) method. The most recent development of the VUV laser PFI-PI scheme for state-selected ion-molecule collision studies is also described. Absolute integral cross sections for state-selected H2+ ions ranging from v+ = 0 to 17 in collisions with Ar, Ne, and He at controlled translational energies have been obtained by employing the VUV synchrotron based PFI-PESICO scheme. The comparison between PFI-PESICO cross sections for the H2+(HD+)+Ne and H2+(HD+)+He proton-transfer reactions and theoretical cross sections based on quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations and three-dimensional quantum scattering calculations performed on the most recently available ab initio potential energy surfaces is highlighted. In both reaction systems, quantum scattering resonances enhance the integral cross sections significantly above QCT predictions at low translational and vibrational energies. At higher energies, the agreement between experiment and quasiclassical theory is very good. The profile and magnitude of the kinetic energy dependence of the absolute integral cross sections for the H2+(v+ = 0-2,N+ = 1)+He proton-transfer reaction unambiguously show that the inclusion of Coriolis coupling is important in quantum dynamics scattering calculations of ion-molecule collisions.

Rovibrational state-selected study of H2+ (X,ν+=0–17, N+=1)+Ar using the pulsed field ionization-photoelectron-secondary ion coincidence scheme

A high-resolution pulsed field ionization photoelectron-secondary ion coincidence (PFI-PESICO) method has been developed for absolute cross section measurements of state-selected ion–molecule reactions. Employing this new PFI-PESICO scheme, we have measured rovibrational-state-selected absolute cross sections for the reaction of H2+(X,ν+=0–17, N+=1)+Ar at the center-of-mass collision energies of 1.1 and 2.4 eV. The ν+=17 state is the second to the last vibrational level of H2+(X), which lies a mere 0.03 eV below the H2+(X) dissociation limit. The absolute cross sections observed for the formation of Ar+ and ArH+ [σv+(Ar++ArH+)] from H2+(X,ν+=0–4, N+=1) are consistent with previous experiments, exhibiting strong enhancement of the reaction cross section for ν+=2. However, the σv+(Ar++ArH+) values for H2+(X,ν+=5–14, N+=1)+Ar are found to be nearly constant. The drop in σv+(Ar++ArH+) observed for H2+(X,ν+=15–17, N+=1)+Ar is attributed to the further dissociation of product ArH+.

High-resolution state-selected ion-molecule reaction studies using pulsed field ionization photoelectron-secondary ion coincidence method

We have developed an octopole-quadrupole photoionization apparatus at the Advanced Light Source for absolute integral cross-section measurements of rovibrational-state-selected ion-molecule reactions. This apparatus consists of a high-resolution photoionization ion source, a wired ion gate lens, a dual radio-frequency (rf) octopole ion guide reaction gas cell, and a quadrupole mass spectrometer for reactant and product ion detection. The unique feature of this apparatus is the implementation of the high-resolution pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE)-photoion coincidence (PFI-PEPICO) technique, which has allowed the rotational-state selection of diatomic ions for ion-molecule reaction studies. The novel application of the wired ion gate lens for the rejection of false coincidence background ions is described. This application, along with the differential-ion-gate scheme, has made possible the measurements of rovibrational-state-selected absolute integral reaction cross sections for ion-molecule ...

On the R-dependence of the spin-orbit coupling constant: Potential energy functions of Xe2+ by high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio quantum chemistry

The pulsed-field-ionization zero-kinetic-energy photoelectron spectrum of Xe(2) has been measured between 97 350 and 108 200 cm(-1), following resonant two-photon excitation via selected vibrational levels of the C 0(u) (+) Rydberg state of Xe(2). Transitions to three of the six low-lying electronic states of Xe(2) (+) could be observed. Whereas extensive vibrational progressions were observed for the transitions to the I(32g) and I(32u) states, only the lowest vibrational levels of the II(12u) state could be detected. Assignments of the vibrational quantum numbers were derived from the analysis of the isotopic shifts and from the modeling of the potential energy curves. Adiabatic ionization energies, dissociation energies, and vibrational constants are reported for the I(32g) and the I(32u) states. Multireference configurational interaction and complete active space self-consistent field calculations have been performed to investigate the dependence of the spin-orbit coupling constant on the internuclear distance. The energies of vibrational levels, measured presently and in a previous investigation (Rupper et al., J. Chem. Phys. 121, 8279 (2004)), were used to determine the potential energy functions of the six low-lying electronic states of Xe(2) (+) using a global model that includes the long-range interaction and treats, for the first time, the spin-orbit interaction as dependent on the internuclear separation.

A time-dependent wave packet quantum scattering study of the reaction HD+ (v = 0 - 3;j0 = 1) + He --> HeH+(HeD+) + D(H).

Time-dependent wave packet quantum scattering (TWQS) calculations are presented for HD(+) (v = 0 - 3;j(0)=1) + He collisions in the center-of-mass collision energy (E(T)) range of 0.0-2.0 eV. The present TWQS approach accounts for Coriolis coupling and uses the ab initio potential energy surface of Palmieri et al. [Mol. Phys. 98, 1839 (2000)]. For a fixed total angular momentum J, the energy dependence of reaction probabilities exhibits quantum resonance structure. The resonances are more pronounced for low J values and for the HeH(+) + D channel than for the HeD(+) + H channel and are particularly prominent near threshold. The quantum effects are no longer discernable in the integral cross sections, which compare closely to quasiclassical trajectory calculations conducted on the same potential energy surface. The integral cross sections also compare well to recent state-selected experimental values over the same reactant and translational energy range. Classical impulsive dynamics and steric arguments can account for the significant isotope effect in favor of the deuteron transfer channel observed for HD(+)(v<3) and low translational energies. At higher reactant energies, angular momentum constraints favor the proton-transfer channel, and isotopic differences in the integral cross sections are no longer significant. The integral cross sections as well as the J dependence of partial cross sections exhibit a significant alignment effect in favor of collisions with the HD(+) rotational angular momentum vector perpendicular to the Jacobi R coordinate. This effect is most pronounced for the proton-transfer channel at low vibrational and translational energies.