Investigating the CO trimer geometry using Coulomb imaging technique

International audienceThe Coulombic explosion of multi-charged (CO)3q+ molecular ions produced in low energy collisions with Ar9+ projectiles was investigated using recoil ion momentum spectrometry (RIMS). A preliminary analysis of the data clearly shows a dominant triangular cyclic structure. Events that may correspond to a linear chain are also observed, but the latter could as well originate from false coincidences, associated to the fragmentation of dimers. A careful analysis of this source of background is proposed to disentangle trimer fragmentation events from false coincidences