Single-photon emission associated with double electron capture in F9+ + C collisions

TL;DR

This study investigates radiative double electron capture in F9+ + C collisions, providing experimental data that helps compare different ion-atom collision systems and tests theoretical models of this quantum process.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed measurement of RDEC for fluorine ions, enabling comparison with previous oxygen ion data and theoretical predictions.

Findings

RDEC observed in F9+ + C collisions.

Comparison with oxygen collision data shows system similarities.

Background processes for x-ray emission are identified.

Abstract

Radiative double electron capture (RDEC), the one-step process occurring in ion-atom collisions, has been investigated for bare fluorine ions colliding with carbon. RDEC is completed when two target electrons are captured to a bound state of a projectile simultaneously with the emission of a single photon. This work is a follow-up to our earlier measurement of RDEC for bare oxygen projectiles, thus providing a recipient system free of electron-related Coulomb fields in both cases and allowing for the comparison between the two collision systems as well as with available theoretical studies. The most significant mechanisms of x-ray emission that may contribute to the RDEC energy region as background processes are also addressed.