H - formation by neutral resonant ionization of H(n =2) atoms

Abstract

A mechanism for producing hydrogen anions in a low density, low energy hydrogen plasma is proposed. The observation in a plasma ion source that the anion output is quadratically related to the Lyman-α radiation suggests that anions could be formed in collisions between atoms in the first excited state. A potential energy plot for the hydrogen molecule is developed that includes a high energy ionic state, comprising a proton and the weakly bound H - (2p 23 P e ) ion, revealing a path to stable anion formation.