Ionization in K(nd)--SF6 and K(nd)--CCl4 collisions at intermediate n

Rate constants for ion production in collisions between potassium atoms in nd Rydberg states and SF6 and CCl4 have been investigated over a range of principal quantum numbers n between 9 and 45. The data suggest that, at the lower values of n, electrostatic interactions between the product ions become important and lead to a marked decrease in free ion production for both target species. The data also demonstrate that only a small fraction of the energy released by dissociative electron attachment to CCl4 appears as kinetic energy of the Cl- fragment