Recombination of Au49+, Au50+, and Au51+ ions has been studied at the
TSR. With Au50+ ions a storage lifetime of only 2 to 4 s was observed
with the magnetically expanded electron beam of the cooler at a densit
y of n(e) = 10(7) cm(-3). This short storage time is a consequence of
the highest recombination rate coefficient ever observed with an atomi
c ion (1.8.10(-6) cm(3) s(-1) at zero relative energy E-rel = 0 betwee
n electrons and ions). At about 30 meV a huge dielectronic recombinati
on resonance is found with a record small width of only about 15 meV.
Such resonances fortuitously occurring near E-rel = 0 are probably the
main reason for the enhanced recombination rates observed with Au50+,
with Pb53+ (in a recent experiment at LEAR) as well as with other com
plex ions. For Au49+ and Au51+ the recombination rates are smaller by
an order of magnitude.