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The Atomic and Molecular Physics Group is engaged in a number of
different programs that explore new phenomena and provide basic
collision data relevant to high electron-temperature plasmas (solar and
stellar atmospheres), to cometary atmospheres, and to the interstellar
medium.
Other subprograms are: development of miniature mass
spectrometers and gas chromatographs for space flight; studying
collisions of fast atoms with surface adsorbed atoms and molecules;
measurement of electron-atom and electron molecule attachment processes
at ultralow electron energies; and detection of trace species, at the
parts per trillion level and better, for the electric utility and
Homeland Security applications. These subprograms comprise a wide range
of collisions processes and energies involving incident electron, ions,
and fast neutral species; with use of the expertise gained in
charged-particle interactions to the development of miniature mass
spectrometers and trace species detectors. In summary, the areas of
research are:
- measuring in highly-charged ions (e.g., O6+, Mg7+, Fe13+)
absolute electron-ion excitation cross sections, ion-neutral change
exchange cross sections, X-ray emission phenomena, and metastable
lifetimes
- deployment of the miniature quadrupole-array based Trace Gas
Analyzer, and the Paul-trap based GC/MS for planetary, Space Station,
and Crew Exploration Vehicle needs
- studying collisions of fast (1-50 eV), ground-state hydrogen
and oxygen atoms with cold (4.8K) surface adsorbed molecules to
synthesize polyatomic species, and trace the formation of the building
blocks of life
- using laser-rare gas photoionization to study the electronic
and vibrational resonances in atoms and molecules at energies in the
range 0.05-200 millielectron volts, at 0.1 meV resolution
- applying the ultralow-energy, s-wave attachment process
to measure trace amounts of certain chemical species (explosives, nerve
agents, PFTs, PCBs, etc.) at sub parts-per-trillion levels.
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