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We have measured the cross sections of elementary processes occurring during collisions of impinging 3He2+ particles with kinetic energies in the range 1–100 keV with Xe atoms, which are accompanied with the formation of free electrons and ions in different final charge states: Xen+ (n = 1–6) and He(2 – m)+ (m = 0–2). We distinguish between ionization processes, in which the impinging α particle does not change the charge state, and processes of capture of one or two electrons, which lead to the formation of a singly charged helium ion or atom with additional removal of electrons from the xenon atom to the continuum. We have determined the cross sections of formation of free electrons in each of these processes and calculated the contribution of multielectron processes to the formation of free electrons. It is shown that upon a change in the energy of collisions between 3He2+ ions from 1 to 100 keV (the velocity of an impinging ion changes from 0.12 to 1.2 a.u.), the mechanism of removal of electrons from the xenon atom changes basically. For low approach velocities of particles, the formation of an autoionization state of the quasi-molecule and its subsequent decay take place. At higher velocities (V > 0.7 a.u.), free electrons are mainly formed because of an abrupt change in the potential energy of electrons when a fast α particle approached the nucleus of the xenon atom.

The method of collision spectroscopy, which is based on precision measurement of the kinetic energy of projectile ions after the electron capture process, is used to measure the partial cross sections of the formation of He+(n) ions in specific electronic states upon the capture of an electron by 3He2+ ions with energy E = 1.4–10 keV/a.m.u. from hydrogen atoms. A target of atomic hydrogen with a dissociation degree of 78% was created at the temperature of a tungsten dissociation cell of 2180 K.

The absolute cross sections of single-electron capture and single-electron capture with dissociation in the interaction between incident He2+, C2+, N2+, and O2+ ions with energies from 6.4 to 36.4 keV and СО molecules were measured. It is demonstrated that the cross section of dissociative capture is much larger than the cross section of single-electron capture for O2+ projectile ions. A qualitative explanation for this effect is provided.

The method of “multistop” time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been used to study the mechanism of radiation damage to glycine molecules in the gas phase upon their interaction with He2+ ions with energy E p = 4 keV/amu. The relative cross sections of various elementary processes occurring in single collisions of glycine molecules with the ions were measured for the first time. A difference was found between the fragmentations of intermediate doubly charged ions formed in capture of a single electron with ionization and in two-electron capture, which is accounted for by the difference between the excitation energies of molecular ions.

The relative cross sections of elementary processes occurring in single collisions of tryptophan molecules in the gaseous phase with He2+ ions with energy 4 keV/u are measured using time-of-flight mass spectrometry for studying the mechanism of radiation damage of amino acid molecules. The fragmentation channels for intermediate singly and doubly charged tryptophan molecular ions formed during one-electron capture, two-electron capture, and electron capture with ionization are investigated. Significant difference is observed in the mass spectra of fragmentation of intermediate doubly charged ions formed during the capture with ionization and double capture, which is associated with different energies of excitation of {C11H12N2O2}2+* ions.

The relative cross section of processes attendant on the capture of an electron by 12-keV 3He2+ ions are measured by time-of-flight mass spectrometry for leucine (C6H13NO2), methionine (C5H11NO2S), and glutmic acid (C5H9NO4) molecules. No differences between the formation relative cross sections of different fragment ions for the D- and L-enantiomeric forms of the amino acids are revealed. The spectrum of glutamic acid fragments taken at temperatures above 110°C is explained by decomposition of the acid with the formation of pyroglutamic acid (C5H7NO3) and water. The results are compared with published data on fragmentation of the same molecules via electron-impact ionization.

The relative cross sections of processes taking place when H+ and He2+ ions with an energy of 6z keV (z is the ionic charge) capture an electron from molecules of C5H11NO2S methionine (proteogenic amino acid) and C6H13NO2 norleucine (nonproteogenic amino acid) are measured by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (a methionine molecule transforms into a norleucine molecule by substituting the CH2 group for the S heteroatom). The fragmentation pattern of resulting molecular ions is established from correlation analysis of the detection times of all fragment ions. The results are compared with experimental data for fragmentation of the same molecules ionized by electrons and photons. In these amino acids, the pattern of molecular ion fragmentation is found to depend on the type of molecule ionization. However, the detachment cross section of the COOH neutral group or residue (neutral or charged) R of a side chain of the amino acid is invariably among the largest. The relative cross sections of capture with single and double ionization of molecules are measured.

The time-of-flight mass spectrometry method is used to study processes occurring when 36-keV multiply charged Ar ions (Ar6+) capture electrons from adenine and uracyl molecules. Adenine and uracyl constitute one of two base pairs entering into the RNA composition. The fragmentation scheme of resulting molecular ions is derived by analyzing correlations between the detection times of all fragment ions. Fragmentation patterns for molecular ions resulting from molecule ionization by photons, electrons, protons, and multiply charged ions are compared.

Time-of-flight mass spectroscopy methods are employed for studying processes occurring during capture of electrons by 3He2+ and Ar6+ multiply charged ions with energy 6z keV (z is the ion charge) from C2Hn molecules (n = 2, 4, 6) with different multiplicities of C-C bonds. Fragmentation schemes of the molecular ions formed in such processes are established from analysis of correlations of recording times for all fragment ions. The absolute values of the cross sections of capture of an electron and capture with ionization are measured, as well as the cross sections of formation of fragment ions in these processes. The absolute values of total capture cross sections for several electrons are determined.

The subject of investigation is the fragmentation of variously charged molecular ions arising in col-lisions of several kiloelectronvolt H+, He2+, and Ar6+ ions with molecules of the simplest alkanes (from methane to butane). Using the method of time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the formation cross sections of dissociation-induced fragment ions are measured. The dissociation takes place when an incident ion captures an electron from a methane, ethane, or propane molecule. The role of additional ionization of the molecule, which accompanies the electron capture by the incident ion, is elucidated. The kinetic energy spectrum for protons resulting from the fragmentation of multiply charged alkane ions is determined. The most plausible kinetic energies of protons depending on the degree of ionization and molecule size fall into the range 1–25 eV. It is shown that, when the molecule loses several electrons, the kinetic energies of protons are governed by Coulomb interaction between all fragment ions and are determined by their flying apart from the relative spatial arrangement of corresponding atoms in a parent molecule.

Fragmentation accompanying the loss of electrons by butane and isobutane (C4H10) molecules in collisions with energy H+, He2+, and Ar6+ ions of kiloelectronvolt energies is studied. The electron density functional technique is applied to C n H2n+2 alkane molecules and their respective C n H 2+2 + ions to carry out quantum-chemical calculations of the atomic spacing, electron total energy for the initial configuration of the ionizing molecules and ions in the ground state, and atomic bond breaking energy necessary to produce different ion fragments. The fragmentation energy is correlated with the fragmentation probability. It is shown that the relative cross sections of ion fragmentation depend primarily on the related energy consumption. However, the process cross section is also strongly affected by the initial configuration of C4H10 isomer molecules, as well as by the amount of dangling and arising atomic bonds involved in the formation of each ion fragment.

The dissociation of C60 fullerene molecules has been studied by means of an analysis of the kinetic energies of charged fragments formed upon the capture of several electrons from C60 by multiply charged Ar6+ ions. The kinetic energies of fragment ions of a multiply ionized C60 molecule are distributed in accordance with the Coulomb explosion mechanism of dissociation.

The cross sections for the elementary processes involving a change of the charge states of both particles during the interaction of He2+ ions with fullerene molecules are for the first time measured over a broad energy range of electron-volt energies. It is found that processes involving the capture of one or two electrons by the He2+ ions are accompanied by additional ionization of the fullerene and that the collisional contribution of the transfer-ionization processes increases with increasing velocity. Single-electron capture is rarely accompanied by fragmentation of the fullerene. Double-electron capture leads, with a higher probability, to fragmentation with the formation of several light charged fragments and, with a smaller probability, to fragmentation with the formation of a heavy charged fragment containing an even number of carbon atoms and light fragments in an uncharged state.