Work

Single-Electron Capture in Intermediate-Energy He+ + Ne Collisions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: State-selective single-electron capture in He+ + Ne collisions was studied at laboratory He+ projectile kinetic energies of 30–100 keV (corresponding to 7.5–25 keV/u) using a reaction microscope. Q-value spectra were obtained through recoil-ion momentum reconstruction, enabling the decomposition of the capture yield into three distinct contributions: (i) capture into excited states of the projectile without target excitation, (ii) capture into the projectile ground state accompanied by excitation of the residual Ne+ ion, and (iii) capture involving simultaneous excitation of both He and Ne+. Across the studied energy range, capture into the projectile ground state accompanied by target excitation is the dominant pathway. With increasing impact energy, the fraction of joint projectile–target excitation increases markedly, whereas the target-excitation-only contribution decreases; the projectile-excitation-only fraction remains at a low, nearly constant level. These findings underscore the significance of multi-electron dynamics in intermediate-energy collisions involving many-electron targets.

Source: Atoms

DOI: 10.3390/atoms14040028