Abstract
IN a recent series of papers1, one of us (F.L.A.) has discussed experiments, carried out with the assistance of Dr. J. C. Milligan, which led to the discovery of a new process of negative ion formation. This process was the formation of negative ions at metal surfaces by bombardment of the surface with positive ions, the negative ion being presumably formed by the positive ion capturing two electrons from the surface. After acceleration away from the surface, the negative ion has an excess energy which is acquired from the acceleration of the positive ion towards the surface. Dr. R. A. Smith2 has recently carried out a quantum theoretical investigation of the above process which satisfactorily accounts for the experimental results.
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References
Arnot and Milligan, Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 156, 538 (1936). Arnot, Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 158, 137 (1937). Arnot, Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 158, 157 (1937).
Smith, Proc. Roy. Soc., A, in the press.
Sloane and Press, NATURE, 141, 872 (1938).
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ARNOT, F., BECKETT, C. Formation of Negative Ions at Surfaces. Nature 141, 1011–1012 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/1411011c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1411011c0
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