Generation of cold polyatomic cations by cascade reactive two-body ion-atom collisions

2023/03/18 by Wei-Chen Liang, Liang, Wei-Chen, Feng-Dong Jia +18
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2303.10360

openalex publication_date 2023/03/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Polyatomic cations ⁸⁷Rb_M⁺ (M = 2, 3,…) have been produced by cascade two-body ion-atom reactive collisions in the two-step CW-laser photoionization of laser-cooled ⁸⁷Rb atoms and accumulated in the ion trap. Using resonant-excitation mass spectrometry and resonant excitation-assisted time-of-flight mass spectrometry, we directly observed and distinguished the charged reaction products. We experimentally verified the cascade generation and cascade dissociation of ⁸⁷Rb_M⁺. The populations of ⁸⁷Rb_M⁺ are quantitatively investigated by solving the rate equations. The ⁸⁷Rb⁺-⁸⁷Rb reaction rate coefficient was derived as 9.10×10^-11 cm³/s accordingly. The methods developed here for assembling and detecting homonuclear polyatomic cations can be applied to any experiment in ion-atom hybrid traps. The present study lays the foundation for exploring atomically precise metal clusters and physics from few- to many-body perspective.

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