Dissociative Electron Attachment to NO, CO and N2O in a 0.5 T Magnetic Field

Dissociative electron attachment to CO, NO and N2O is studied in a 0.5 T magnetic field. The magnetic field dependence of the attachment process is analyzed to understand the possible role of magnetically-coupled excited molecular states. The present technique converts the O−(2P) ions produced by the attachment to fast O(3P) by steps of ion acceleration and laser photodetachment. The resulting fast O(2P) atoms are then detected with a microchannel plate. This method facilitates analysis of any B-field enhancements in the resonant attachment phenomena, with minimal contribution from backgrounds of positive and negative charges.