Balmer-α and Balmer-β emission cross sections for H++Ar collisions

Absolute cross sections for the emission of Balmer-α and Balmer-β radiations from H++Ar collisions between about 50- and 2500-eV proton energy and the polarizations of the emitted radiations are reported. For proton energies above 300 eV, the contributions to these radiations from decay of the long-lived 3s and 4s excited states of hydrogen are resolved. The Balmer-α emission cross section exhibits a maximum at about 1-keV proton energy. No such dominant feature is present at the n=4 level of excitation. The experimental techniques used to make the measurements are described, and the results are compared with the work of other investigators and discussed on the basis of the interaction between these colliding species