Electron–Ion and Ion–Ion Dissociative Recombination of Oxygen. I. Electron–Ion Recombination

Abstract

The rate coefficient for electron–molecular-oxygen-ion recombination is calculated quantum mechanically. The quantum treatment due to Warke is presented in detail. A simple one-electron model is used. The positive molecular ion is approximated by a rotating dumbbell consisting of O(3P) and O+(4S), and the electron–atomic oxygen interaction is treated as the perturbation for the recombination process. In the one-electron approximation, only six final continuum states are possible. By assuming that one of them, the repulsive Σg+1 of O + O, crosses at the ground vibrational state of O2+, the overlap integrals are then carried out. The calculated rate coefficient, α = (2.8 ± 0.2) × 10−7cm3 / sec at T = 300°K, is close to the experimental results αexptl = (2.2 ± 0.4) × 10−7cm3 / sec.