Dielectronic recombination measurements for the Li-like ions: B2+, C3+, N4+, and O5+

Abstract

Dielectronic recombination rates via 2s-2p excitation have been measured for the Li-like ions ${\mathrm{B}}^{2+}$, ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}^{4+}$, and ${\mathrm{O}}^{5+}$. We observe the amount of electron capture attending the passage of MeV/amu ion beams through a collinear, magnetically confined space-charge-limited electron beam as a function of relative energy. The measured rates show the predicted increase with Z but are higher than the rates calculated from the theoretically predicted cross sections. This is in contrast to the good agreement, between our measured rates and predictions from the same theory, found for Na-like ions.