Experiments on Charge-Changing Collisions of Lithium Ionic and Atomic Beams

Beams of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{+}$ ions accelerated to kinetic energies in the range 10-475 kev were brought into charge equilibrium in the gases ${\mathrm{H}}_2$, He, and ${\mathrm{N}}_2$ and the fractional amounts of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{-}$, ${\mathrm{Li}}^0$, ${\mathrm{Li}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{Li}}^{++}$, ${\mathrm{Li}}^{+++}$ measured. Because of the relatively large amount of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{-}$ in an equilibrated beam below 40 kev in energy in propane and nitrous oxide, limited investigations were carried out in these gases. The anomalously large ${\mathrm{Li}}^{++}$ yield in helium at ${\mathrm{Li}}^7$ energies below 100 kev was noted.