Dissociative-recombination product states and the dissociation energy D₀ of Ne₂⁺

Final product states of Ne₂⁺ dissociative recombination were studied using time-of-flight spectroscopy to determine the kinetic energies released. The dissociative recombination occurred in a sustained discharge in the presence of a variable magnetic field and discharge voltage, at pressures of 5–15 mTorr. Under different conditions various excited states were observed ranging from the lowest 3s metastable states to higher Rydberg states within 0.000 54 eV of the dissociation limit. From their narrow widths, it is deduced that these higher states arose from Ne₂⁺ ions with subthermal energies. From two of these narrow distributions, we obtain an improved value for the dissociation limit D₀(Ne₂⁺)=1.26±0.02 eV.