Investigations on the Kinetic Energy of Trapped Ions by Consideration of Ion/Molecule Collisions

To utilize the capabilities of the r.f. ion trap for high-precision spectroscopy and for the study of ion/molecule collisions, the kinetic energy of the ion cloud must be known as precisely as possible. One method for the determination of ion cloud kinetic energy is to measure the rate constant of a given reaction. We have investigated this method under ultra-high vacuum conditions which are those used in spectroscopic experiments and studies of ions in dilute media.