Speaker
Description
The stereodynamics of the Ne(3P2) + ND3 → ND3+ /(ND_2+ + D) + e– reaction is studied in a crossed-beam experiment with aligned ammonia molecules. A sample of aligned ND3 is prepared from a supersonic expansion which is guided and polarized in a curved electrostatic guide, and aligned using a linear electric field in a selected direction. The rotational temperature and degree of alignment are quantified using [2+1] REMPI with linearly polarized light. Metastable neon Ne(3P2) is generated using an Even-Lavie valve coupled to a dielectric barrier discharge and magnetically guided to the reaction zone. Scattering events between Ne(3P2) and ND3 take place in the presence of an electric field to maintain the alignment of ammonia. A short voltage pulse is applied to extract the ionic products which are detected in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Preliminary results will be shown to assess the effect of alignment on the branching ratio between the formation of ND3+ and ND2+.
