Charge trapping by H2O condensed onto thin films of Kr and Xe

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Abstract
The energy dependence for electron trapping by H2O molecules condensed onto thin films of Kr and Xe has been measured between 0.4 and 11.0 eV. From these measurements, absolute cross sections for electron trapping were deduced and found to reach magnitudes in excess of 10−16 cm2 for incident kinetic energies smaller than 1.0 eV. This trapping is associated with electron capture by clusters of water molecules, a process related possibly to the solvation of the electron following the radiolysis of water. Near 0 eV, the cross section is so large that appreciable charging occurs when electrons of low residual energy are created at the onset of exciton formation in the Kr and Xe substrates. From 6.0 to 9.0 eV, further charge trapping proceeds via dissociative attachment, but a contribution from electrons scattered from electronic states of H2O cannot be excluded.