The Activation by an Electron Beam of an Argon– Hydrogen Mixture on the Formation Effect of Protonated Monomers and Small Argon Clusters in Condensing Supersonic Flow

Abstract

Recently, great interest in the analysis of the ArH+ ion electronic states in a number of scientific studies, in which there are significant discrepancies between the available experimental measurements and theoretical results has been shown. The most efficient production of protonated argon was achieved by electron ionization of the supersonic flows of argon and hydrogen mixtures. In this article, the clustering influence on the formation of protonated monomers and small argon clusters is considered. Two variants of ionization of supersonic fluxes were used: by a high-voltage electron beam immediately in the jet with ion registration by transport to the mass spectrometer of a molecular beam system (HVEB method) or by a low-energy electron beam directly in the mass spectrometer detector (EBMS method) of molecular beam skimmed from a supersonic jet. The effect of stagnation pressure and the average cluster size in a gas stream on the argon-hydrogen compound ions formation have been studied. The parameters of the most effective ion formation of such compounds in the considered range of gas-dynamic parameters are determined. Suggestions about the type (ArnH $_{m})^{+}$ ions formation mechanism in a clustered stream are considered.