Multi-Electron Capture and Emission in Low Energy Highly Charged Ion-C60 Collisions

Abstract

In low energy highly charged ion-C60 collisions, a great number of weakly bound electrons can be transferred to the projectile ion, creating excited highly charged C60 and free Rydberg hollow atoms by multi-electron captures. By coincidence measurement of the number of stabilized electrons on the projectile, the multiplicity of ejected electrons and the time of flight of charged C60 or fragments, we have studied collisionnal mechanisms for Ar8+, O8+ and Xe30+–C60 systems. Different electron multiplicity distributions and scattered projectile kinetic energies have been observed for peripheral and frontal collisions. The number of electrons ejected during the collision depends not only on the initial charge state but also on the atomic structure of the incoming projectile ion. In the case of Xe30+–C60, up to 80 active electrons have been measured even in peripheral collisions.