Electron Attachment in the Field of the Ground and Excited Electronic States of the Azulene Molecule

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Abstract
Azulene attaches thermal and near-thermal energy electrons forming a long-lived parent negative ion in the field of the ground state with a mean autoionization lifetime of 7 ± 1.5 μsec and a mean thermal attachment cross section of 3.5 × 10−15 cm2. The cross section for the thermal process is sharp. Evidence is presented also for electron attachment in the field of a low-lying excited electronic state (possibly the lowest π-triplet state) of azulene in addition to the thermal (∼0.0-eV) process. Using the present values of the thermal attachment rate and lifetime, the electron affinity of azulene in the ground state is estimated to be ≥ 0.46eV.