Energy distribution of CO⁺ ions drifting in He, Ne and Ar

Abstract

Potential retardation measurements with a variable length drift tube have yielded the most probable energies and the energy distributions of CO⁺ ions in He, Ne and Ar at 300K for selected values of the reduced field E/n. For He E/n was in the range 35-200 Td and for Ar between 60 and 300 Td. The most probable energies obtained agree with the mean energies predicted by Wannier's equation for 100-200 Td assuming ion drift velocities calculated from the polarisabilities. The shape of the energy distribution function was found to depend significantly on the nature of the buffer gas atoms used.