Rotational and vibrational lifetime of isotopically asymmetrized homonuclear diatomic molecular ions

Near-thermo-neutral electron recombination of titanium oxide ions

While the dissociative recombination (DR) of ground-state molecular ions with low-energy free electrons is generally known to be exothermic, it has been predicted to be endothermic for a class of transition-metal oxide ions. To understand this unusual case, the electron recombination of titanium oxide ions (TiO⁺) with electrons has been experimentally investigated using the Cryogenic Storage Ring. In its low radiation field, the TiO⁺ ions relax internally to low rotational excitation (≲100 K). Under controlled collision energies down to ∼2 meV within the merged electron and ion beam configuration, fragment imaging has been applied to determine the kinetic energy released to Ti and O neutral reaction products. Detailed analysis of the fragment imaging data considering the reactant and product excitation channels reveals an endothermicity for the TiO⁺ dissociative electron recombination of (+4 ± 10) meV. This result improves the accuracy of the energy balance by a factor of 7 compared to that found indirectly from hitherto known molecular properties. Conversely, the present endothermicity yields improved dissociation energy values for D₀(TiO) = (6.824 ± 0.010) eV and D₀(TiO⁺) = (6.832 ± 0.010) eV. All thermochemistry values were compared to new coupled-cluster calculations and found to be in good agreement. Moreover, absolute rate coefficients for the electron recombination of rotationally relaxed ions have been measured, yielding an upper limit of 1 × 10^-7 cm³ s^-1 for typical conditions of cold astrophysical media. Strong variation of the DR rate with the TiO⁺ internal excitation is predicted. Furthermore, potential energy curves for TiO⁺ and TiO have been calculated using a multi-reference configuration interaction method to constrain quantum-dynamical paths driving the observed TiO⁺ electron recombination.

Radiative Lifetimes for the A and C1Σ+ States of the (SrK)+ Ion Molecular

We have investigated, in a previous work, the transition dipole moments (TDM) of the 13 1Σ+ states of the (SrK)+ molecular ion by using the ab initio method based on the pseudo-potential approach. The radiative lifetimes for all vibrational levels of A and C1Σ+ have been calculated by using such transition dipole moments curves. We have included the bound-free emissions probabilities further to the bound–bound transitions. The bound-free emissions probabilities have been determined exactly, using the Franck–Condon approach, and then included in the total radiative lifetime. An important change has been observed for the higher excited vibrational levels in these lifetimes when the approximate evaluation breaks down. For the first time, the radiative lifetimes associated with the Aand C1Σ+ excited state have been studied here.

Phase-Sensitive Vector Terahertz Electrometry from Precision Spectroscopy of Molecular Ions

This article proposes a new method for sensing THz waves that can allow electric field measurements traceable to the International System of Units and to the fundamental physical constants by using the comparison between precision measurements with cold trapped HD+ ions and accurate predictions of molecular ion theory. The approach exploits the lightshifts induced on the two-photon rovibrational transition at 55.9 THz by a THz wave around 1.3 THz, which is off-resonantly coupled to the HD+ fundamental rotational transition. First, the direction and the magnitude of the static magnetic field applied to the ion trap is calibrated using Zeeman spectroscopy of HD+. Then, a set of lightshifts are converted into the amplitudes and the phases of the THz electric field components in an orthogonal laboratory frame by exploiting the sensitivity of the lightshifts to the intensity, the polarization and the detuning of the THz wave to the HD+ energy levels. The THz electric field measurement uncertainties are estimated for quantum projection noise-limited molecular ion frequency measurements with the current accuracy of molecular ion theory. The method has the potential to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of electric field metrology and may be extended to THz magnetic fields and to optical fields.

A cryogenic linear ion trap beamline for providing keV ion bunches

A new cryogenic linear ion trap beamline has been constructed and commissioned, which serves to inject cold molecular and cluster ions into the RIKEN cryogenic electrostatic ring (RICE). Ions are created with an electrospray ion source, and a quadrupole mass filter is used for mass-selection prior to trap injection. The radio frequency octupole ion trap can be continuously loaded with ions and features a fast ion extraction mode to create short ion bunches with tens of μs duration. We report here on the simulations and development of the ion trap beamline and validate performance with the moderately heavy molecular cation methylene blue. Characterization of the novel trap design with additional wedge-shaped electrodes was carried out, which includes the determination of the temporal and spatial shape of the ion bunch and the total number of ions after extraction. Finally, these ion bunches are synchronized with the switching of a pulsed high-voltage acceleration device downstream of the trap, where the ions obtain a kinetic energy of up to 20 keV. The preparation and control of the keV ion beam are demonstrated for the ion injection into RICE.

Rotationally Cold OH^{-} Ions in the Cryogenic Electrostatic Ion-Beam Storage Ring DESIREE

We apply near-threshold laser photodetachment to characterize the rotational quantum level distribution of OH^{-} ions stored in the cryogenic ion-beam storage ring DESIREE at Stockholm University. We find that the stored ions relax to a rotational temperature of 13.4±0.2  K with 94.9±0.3% of the ions in the rotational ground state. This is consistent with the storage ring temperature of 13.5±0.5  K as measured with eight silicon diodes but in contrast to all earlier studies in cryogenic traps and rings where the rotational temperatures were always much higher than those of the storage devices at their lowest temperatures. Furthermore, we actively modify the rotational distribution through selective photodetachment to produce an OH^{-} beam where 99.1±0.1% of approximately one million stored ions are in the J=0 rotational ground state. We measure the intrinsic lifetime of the J=1 rotational level to be 145±28  s.

Radiative Rotational Lifetimes and State-Resolved Relative Detachment Cross Sections from Photodetachment Thermometry of Molecular Anions in a Cryogenic Storage Ring

Photodetachment thermometry on a beam of OH^{-} in a cryogenic storage ring cooled to below 10 K is carried out using two-dimensional frequency- and time-dependent photodetachment spectroscopy over 20 min of ion storage. In equilibrium with the low-level blackbody field, we find an effective radiative temperature near 15 K with about 90% of all ions in the rotational ground state. We measure the J=1 natural lifetime (about 193 s) and determine the OH^{-} rotational transition dipole moment with 1.5% uncertainty. We also measure rotationally dependent relative near-threshold photodetachment cross sections for photodetachment thermometry.

Rotational cooling of HD+ molecular ions by superelastic collisions with electrons

Merging an HD+ beam with velocity matched electrons in a heavy ion storage ring we observed rapid cooling of the rotational excitations of the HD+ ions by superelastic collisions (SEC) with the electrons. The cooling process is well described using theoretical SEC rate coefficients obtained by combining the molecular R-matrix approach with the adiabatic nuclei rotation approximation. We verify the DeltaJ=-2 SEC rate coefficients, which are predicted to be dominant as opposed to the DeltaJ=-1 rates and to amount to (1-2)x10;{-6} cm;{3} s;{-1} for initial angular momentum states with J< or =7, to within 30%.

When electrons meet molecular ions and what happens next: dissociative recombination from interstellar molecular clouds to internal combustion engines

The interaction of matter with its environment is the driving force behind the evolution of 99% of the observed matter in the universe. The majority of the visible universe exists in a state of weak ionization, the so called fourth state of matter: plasma. Plasmas are ubiquitous, from those occurring naturally; interstellar molecular clouds, cometary comae, circumstellar shells, to those which are anthropic in origin; flames, combustion engines and fusion reactors. The evolution of these plasmas is driven by the interaction of the plasma constituents, the ions, and the electrons. One of the most important subsets of these reactions is electron-molecular ion recombination. This process is significant for two very important reasons. It is an ionization reducing reaction, removing two ionised species and producing neutral products. Furthermore, these products may themselves be reactive radical species which can then further drive the evolution of the plasma. The rate at which the electron reacts with the ion depends on many parameters, for examples the collision energy, the internal energy of the ion, and the structure of the ion itself. Measuring these properties together with the manner in which the system breaks up is therefore critical if the evolution of the environment is to be understood at all. Several techniques have been developed to study just such reactions to obtain the necessary information on the parameters. In this paper the focus will be on one the most recently developed of these, the Ion Storage Ring, together with the detection tools and techniques used to extract the necessary information from the reaction.

Above threshold dissociation of vibrationally cold HD+ molecules

The experimental study of molecular dissociation of H2+ by intense laser pulses is complicated by the fact that the ions are initially produced in a wide range of vibrational states, each of which responds differently to the laser field. An electrostatic storage device has been used to radiatively cool HD+ ions enabling the observation of above threshold dissociation from the ground vibrational state by 40 fs laser pulses at 800 nm. At the highest intensities used, dissociation through the absorption of at least four photons is found to be the dominant process.

Dissociative recombination of HD+ in selected vibrational quantum states

Rate coefficients for dissociative recombination of HD+ in selected vibrational states have been measured by a combination of two molecular fragment imaging methods by using the heavy-ion storage ring technique. Recombination fragment imaging yields state-to-state reaction rates. These rates are converted to rate coefficients by using vibrational level populations of the stored ion beam, derived from nuclear coordinate distributions measured on extracted ions. The results show strongly increasing rate coefficients for high vibrational excitation, where additional dissociation routes open up, in agreement with a theoretical calculation. Very low rate coefficients are found for certain, isolated vibrational states.