Recombination of KrD+ and XeD+ ions with electrons

Recombination rate coefficients of protonated and deuterated ions KrH+, KrD+, XeH+ and XeD+ were measured using Flowing Afterglow with Langmuir Probe (FALP). Helium at 1600 Pa and at temperature 250 K was used as a buffer gas in the experiments. Kr, Xe, H2 and D2 were introduced to a flow tube to form the desired ions. Because of small differences in proton affinities of Kr, D2 and H2 mixtures of ions, KrD+/D3+ and KrH+/H3+ are formed in the afterglow plasma, influencing the plasma decay. To obtain a recombination rate coefficient for a particular ion, the dependencies on partial pressures of gases used in the ion formation were measured. The obtained rate coefficients, αKrD+(250 K) = (0.9 ± 0.3) × 10−8 cm3 s−1 and αXeD+(250 K) = (8 ± 2) × 10−8 cm3 s−1 are compared with αKrH+(250 K) = (2.0 ± 0.6) × 10−8 cm3 s−1 and αXeH+(250 K) = (8 ± 2) × 10−8 cm3 s−1.