The production of continuous electron spectra in collisions of heavy ions and atoms. II. Direct coupling with the continuum

For pt.I see ibid., vol.14, p.513 (1981). The continuum electron spectra produced in Nen+-Ne (n=1, 2, 3, 4) collisions have been measured as functions of the angle and energy of the ejected electrons. Electrons were measured in the energy interval between 16 and 1100 eV. Projectile energies from 25 to 800 keV, projectile charge states from 1+ to 4+ and emission angles between 45 and 135 degrees have been used. Spectra for Krn+-Kr (n=2, 3, 4, 5) were measured under the same conditions. For the Kr-Kr system only the exponential part of the spectrum was studied. For the Ne-Ne system the spectra have a pureexponential shape as a function of the electron energy. The cross sections decrease when the projectile charge is increased. The angular distributions are strongly anisotropic in the laboratory system but become almost isotropic in the centre-of-mass frame. It is found that the data can be described by a simple empirical relation. The authors' result indicate that radial and rotational couplings between highly promoted molecular orbitals and the continuum may be important.