Time-of-Flight Experiments in Molecular Motion and Electron-Atom Collision Kinematics

Describes a set of experiments for an undergraduate laboratory which demonstrates the relationship between velocity, mass, and temperature in a gas. The experimental method involves time-of-flight measurements on atoms excited to metastable states by electron impact. Effects resulting from recoil in the electron-atom collision can also be observed. A suitable apparatus for conducting the experiments is described. (Author/PR)