Vacuum ultraviolet fluorescence of (XeRb)+ produced in an electron-beam pumped gas mixture

With a pulsed electron beam a gas mixture of Ar, Xe, and Rb was excited producing (XeRb)+ ionic excimer molecules. To study the formation kinetics the (XeRb)+fluorescence pulse was measured as a function of the gas composition and the pumping density. From the observed fluorescence signal decay a value of 6±1×10−30 cm6/s for the formation rate constant of (XeRb)+ from Xe+, Ar, and Rb was determined