In this project, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Robert N. Compton of the University of Tennessee will continue and expand his researches on electron attachment to molecules and negative ions. Work on singly and doubly charged anions will continue. New work will be directed to observe the cross section for electron attachment to a negative ion and to determine its autodetachment lifetime. Electron affinities of these anions will be measured and compared to values obtained by means of Rydberg electron transfer and field detachment methods. In addition, photodetachment cross sections and photoelectron angular distributions as function of photon energy will be determined and compared to theoretical values.
This research will be conducted with the assistance of graduate and undergraduate students, as well as with collaborators within and outside the United States. Through their participation in this research and the collaborations with other American and international groups the students will gain valuable experience that prepares them for advanced studies or employment in the academic, government or industrial sectors of the economy.
