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Recombination of D3+ ions with electrons at low temperatures (80-130 K) was studied using spectroscopic determination of D3+ ions density in afterglow plasmas. The use of cavity ring-down absorption spectroscopy enabled an in situ determination of the abundances of the ions in plasma and the translational and the rotational temperatures of the recombining ions. Two near infrared transitions at (5792.70 ± 0.01) cm-1 and at (5793.90 ± 0.01) cm-1 were used to probe the number densities of the lowest ortho state and of one higher lying rotational state of the vibrational ground state of D3+ ion. The results show that D3+ recombination with electrons consists of the binary and the third-body (helium) assisted process. The obtained binary recombination rate coefficients are in agreement with a recent theoretical prediction for electron-ion plasma in thermodynamic equilibrium with αbin(80 K) = (9.2 ± 2.0) × 10-8 cm3 s-1. The measured helium assisted ternary rate coefficients KHe are in agreement with our previously measured flowing afterglow data giving a value of KHe(80 K) = (1.2 ± 0.3) × 10-25 cm6 s-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements in H3+ afterglow plasmas with spectroscopically determined relative abundances of H3+ ions in the para-nuclear and ortho-nuclear spin states provide clear evidence that at low temperatures (77-200 K) para-H3+ ions recombine significantly faster with electrons than ions in the ortho state, in agreement with a recent theoretical prediction. The cavity ring-down absorption spectroscopy used here provides an in situ determination of the para/ortho abundance ratio and yields additional information on the translational and rotational temperatures of the recombining ions. The results show that H3+ recombination with electrons occurs by both binary recombination and third-body (helium) assisted recombination, and that both the two-body and three-body rate coefficients depend on the nuclear spin states. Electron-stabilized (collisional-radiative) recombination appears to make only a small contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]