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Abstract:
Miniature electron beam ion traps (EBIT) are conventionally used for the production of highly charged atomic ions. This work presents the first study of molecular ions produced in an EBIT at energies below 80 eV with a particular focus on methane.
To interpret the data of the molecules, we model the behaviour of ion populations by numerically solving a set of coupled differential equations that describe how they increase and decrease, using the runge-kutta method. Optimal experimental parameters for the production and extraction of molecular ions are measured and subsequently explained by this model. These parameters are then used to measure the ion populations in the trap as the electron beam energy is varied. This provides insight into how methane is ionized/dissociated in the EBIT and how different ion populations are coupled to each other.
An EBIT that is operated at low energies could prove to be a novel source of molecular ions for use in future experiments.
