Excitation and ionization in heavy particle collisions

Local thermodynamic equilibrium models of excited and ionized particle production during sputtering are examined and a comparison of the collision environment dependence of the electronic excited state population distributions of atoms and molecules given. A 5 - 75 keV heavy ion accelerator for the study of the spectroscopy of heavy particle collisions involving solid, adsorbed, and gas (vapour) targets is described and the rigorous data analysis procedures appropriate to the sputtering source are developed. (U.K.)