Generation of a fast alkali atomic beam by charge-transfer method for ion-pair formation studies

A fast potassium atomic beam has been generated by the charge-transfer method and detected by a tungsten surface ionisation detector. The energy widths of the unexchanged fast potassium ion obtained by direct-heated and indirect-heated ion sources are approximately 0.4 and approximately 0.2 eV respectively. The number of detected fast neutrals per second from the direct-heated ion source is about 3*107 atoms mm-2 s-1 at 60 eV, and is nearly equal to that from the indirect-heated ion source. The energy loss spectra of product K+ ions in the Kf0+O2 system obtained by the beam using the indirect-heated ion source are in good agreement with those of Mochizuki and Lacmann (1976). Therefore, it has been shown that the fast neutral beam generated with the indirect-heated ion source can be used for the collision experiments.