Session Poster: Experimental Physics Research

5:30 PM–5:30 PM, Friday, October 13, 2006
Holy Cross College Room: Ballroom

Chair: Paul Oxley, Holy Cross College

Abstract ID: BAPS.2006.NEF.Poster.5

Abstract: Poster.00005 : Laboratory Measurement of 50-300eV X rays from Collisions of S, Ne ions with molecules of Cometary Interest.

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Authors:

  Kenneth Miller
  Christopher Verzani
  Anne Wrigley
  Quentin Kessel
  Winthrop Smith
    (University of Connecticut)

  Steve Smith
  Sabbir Hossain
  Ara Chutjian
    (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

Approximately 90 percent of the observed cometary x rays have energies in the 50 -- 300 eV range. It is assumed these x rays may be the result of electron capture to excited states, similar to the explanation of the 250 -- 700 eV cometary x-ray lines being due to the transfer of electrons from cometary gases (CO, H$_{2}$O, etc.). The present data are consistent with this interpretation. We present here spectra obtained, using solar wind-type ions such as Ne$^{7+}$, Ne$^{8+}$, S$^{9+}$, and O$^{6+}$ from the JPL ECR ion source. Our spectra suggest that charge transfer to these highly-charged solar wind species contributes significantly to cometary x-ray spectra in the 50-300eV energy range.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2006.NEF.Poster.5