Fully differential molecular-frame measurements for the electron-impact dissociative ionization of H2

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Jan 15;104(2):023202. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.023202. Epub 2010 Jan 12.

Abstract

We present fully differential state-resolved experimental data for the dissociative ionization of molecular hydrogen induced through electron impact. Molecular-frame ionization cross sections are derived for transitions from the X{1}Sigma{g}{+} molecular ground state to the 1ssigma{g}, 2psigma{u}, 2ssigma{g}, and 2ppi{u} states of H2+. For transitions to the 2ssigma{g} and 2ppi{u} states, a strong orientation dependence in the cross sections is revealed, with "side-on" preferred to "end-on" collisions and a propensity for the fragment proton to emerge along the normal to the scattering plane.