Double ionization of spatially aligned D₂ by fast highly charged ions

A.L. Landers, A. Al-Naser, J.A. Tanis
Department of Physics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008

E. Wells
Department of Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904

T. Osipov, I. Ali, I. Reiser, K.D. Carnes, I. Ben-Itzhak, P. Richard, C.L. Cocke
J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506

Double ionization of D₂ molecules by 19 MeV F⁸⁺ ions was studied using a COLTRIMS approach. Fast imaging detectors, a supersonically cooled gas jet, and the time focusing properties of the KSU LINAC (producing about 400 ps pulses) are combined to fully measure the vector momenta of the charged fragments produced in these ionizing collisions. The molecular alignment at the time of the collision is determened a posteriori. Preliminary results indicate that the double ionization cross section shows some dependence on molecular orientation relative to the ion beam. Analysis of the cor- related electron and recoil momenta is underway.

This work was supported by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division,
Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy.

Submitted to DAMOP/DAMP Meeting, May 2001 in London, Ontario.

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