Autodetachment spectroscopy of the metastable HD− and D2− anions

Abstract

Synopsis The autodetachment spectrum of decaying HD− and D 2 − has been recorded with a velocity-map imaging spectrometer. Coincident detection of the neutral molecule permits the selection of events occuring in the center of the spectrometer. The discrete features of the spectrum are assigned to transitions between well identified ro-vibrational levels. Energies, lifetimes and branching ratios predicted with the non-local potential framework developed for associative detachment satisfactorily reproduce the experimental results.