EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF CROSS-SECTIONS FOR NEUTRAL BREMSSTRAHLUNG .I. NE AR AND XE

Experimental measurements of the cross sections for radiative scattering of electrons from the neutral species Ne, Ar and Xe have been obtained. The experiments were performed in shock-heated gases from 8000 to 15 000°K using a rapid scanning spectrometer to measure the absolute intensity of the neutral Bremsstrahlung continuum over the wavelength interval of 2·0-5·4 μ in the infrared. The data have been analyzed to obtain the effective nuclear charge squared Z2i, of the species i doing the scattering, using a modified form of the Kramers-Unsöld equation, and to obtain the radiative absorption cross section Qai. Experimental information on the temperature and wavelength dependence of the neutral Bremsstrahlung has been determined. The experimental Qa's have been compared with calculations based on a simple theory of radiative scattering of electrons from neutral species. © 1969.