STUYING CHEMI IONISATION OF STATE-SELECTED LANTHANIDES WITH O(3P) IN MERGED AND CROSSED BEAMS
Abstract
Chemi-ionisation is a fundamentally important type of reaction wherein two ground state system react to form a cation and a free electron. The reaction is exoergic if the newly formed species has an ionic ground state energy below the energy of the initial species, i.e. when the formation of new bonds overcompensates the removal of an electron. Recently, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) has identified chemi ionisation reactions between lanthanides and atomic oxygen as promising electron sources to locally control charge density in the ionosphere and enhance the efficiency of signal transmission for communication. In this realm it is critical to fully understand these reactions at a fundamental level as well as the role of different electronic states of the lanthanide atoms in the reaction. In the present project we will study such reactions by focusing on the Sm(7F)+O(3P) reaction which is one of the prime candidates for the AFOSRs efforts. We will use our expertise in molecular beam control and state filtering in magnetic guides to prepare both reactants in well-defined spinorbit states to access state-specific reactivities in an energy range between near-absolute zero and hundreds of Kelvin.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2021
- Source ID
- FA95502010419
Entities
People
- Andreas Osterwalder
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
- United States Air Force