Absolute energy-resolved measurements of the H{sup -}+H{yields}H{sub 2}+e{sup -} associative detachment reaction using a merged-beam apparatus

Using a merged-beam configuration, we have performed absolute measurements for the associative detachment reaction H{sup -}+H{yields}H{sub 2}+e{sup -}. Our energy-resolved measurements for this process remove a long-standing discrepancy between theory and experiment for this fundamental reaction. In particular, we find excellent agreement with theoretical results which previously seemed to be ruled out by earlier experiments performed using a flowing afterglow technique.