Metastable states of D-2(-) observed by foil-induced Coulomb explosion imaging

Author(s)

P. Herwig, D. Schwalm, M. Cizek, R. Golser, M. Grieser, O. Heber, R. Repnow, A. Wolf, H. Kreckel

Abstract

In recent years it was demonstrated that the negative hydrogen molecular ions H2− and D2− exist in long-lived states with lifetimes exceeding 1 μs (H2−) and 1 ms (D2−).

These metastable ions exhibit very large internuclear distances and

possess high angular momenta, which stabilizes them against

autodetachment. Here we present the results of a foil-induced Coulomb

explosion imaging experiment that allows for the measurement of the

rovibrational wave functions of the metastable D2−

ions. We compare our results to previous predictions from a nonlocal

resonance theory. Our measurements do not confirm the discrepancy

between experiment and theory that was inferred from previous

photofragmentation studies. In fact, we find good agreement between the

experiment and calculated wave functions for the most long-lived states

with rotational quantum numbers J=37 and 38.

Organisation(s)

Isotope Physics

External organisation(s)

Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Weizmann Institute of Science, Charles University Prague

Journal

Physical Review A

Volume

87

No. of pages

8

ISSN

1050-2947

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.87.062513

Publication date

06-2013

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103005 Atomic physics

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/metastable-states-of-d2-observed-by-foilinduced-coulomb-explosion-imaging(26329b02-4a81-4bad-a85e-430647d56f0e).html