Ionization of fragmentation of diatomic molecular gases by 5-45 keV Ne+and Na+ions and Ne atoms

Abstract
A mass spectrometric technique which achieves a high and uniform collection efficiency for all the product ions has been applied to study the secondary ions formed during the passage of 5-45 keV Ne+, Ne and Na+ beams through thin targets of CO, N2, O2 and H2. Cross sections for the formation of particular secondary ions have been determined, and interpreted using measurements of charge-changing and ionization cross sections. The fragmentation pattern is satisfactorily explained in terms of two step processes involving the creation of excited states of the molecule (which have been observed in other measurements) followed by predissociation, leading to the observed fragment ions.