ULTRAVIOLET EMISSION IN DISSOCIATIVE EXCITATION OF N-2 BY HE+ IMPACT

Absolute emission cross sections for the excitation atomic and ionic lines of nitrogen are measured in the VUV region of 50 to 130 nm in the He+ projectile energy range 1-10 keV. Excitation of the intense lines are caused by formation of core-excited intermediate molecular states of N-2(+)* in the charge exchange processes. In particular the most intense line N-1 (120.0 nm) can be excited by formation of a 2s sigma(g) hole in the ground state of the N-2 molecule. This intermediate one-hole molecular state of N-2(+) can be formed by configuration interaction with (2) Sigma(g)(+) core-excited molecular Rydberg states.