Negative ion production rates in rare gas-halide lasers

This paper reports on dissociative electron attachment in F2, NF3, Cl2, and I2. The principle of the method is to produce a short burst of photoelectrons from a photocathode by means of light from an argon-fluoride laser. Subsequently, by studying the motion of electrons and negative ions in a constant electric field (E) region, information is obtained about drift velocities and effective attachment cross sections. Helium, argon, and nitrogen were used as buffer gases. Of particular interest is a very strong temperature dependence of the attachment coefficient in I2. Measurements were taken from 35 to 110°C, covering anE/Nrange of 1-50 Townsend. An explanation based on vibrational excitation is presented.