DISSOCIATIVE-RECOMBINATION PRODUCT STATES AND THE DISSOCIATION-ENERGYD-0 OF NE-2(+)

Final product states of Ne-2(+) dissociative recombination were studie d using time-of-flight spectroscopy to determine the kinetic energies released. The dissociative recombination occurred in a sustained disch arge in the presence of a variable magnetic field and discharge voltag e, at pressures of 5-15 mTorr. Under different conditions various exci ted states were observed ranging from the lowest 3s metastable states to higher Rydberg states within 0.000 54 eV of the dissociation limit. From their narrow widths, it is deduced that these higher states aros e from Ne-2(+) ions with subthermal energies. From two of these narrow distributions, we obtain an improved value for the dissociation limit D-0(Ne-2(+))=1.26+/-0.02 eV.