Collisional Electron Detachment from Hydrogen Atoms and Negative Hydrogen Ions between 4 and 18 MeV

A beam of negative hydrogen ions accelerated by a cyclotron has been passed through various gases and the resulting charge states determined by magnetic analysis. Reduction of the data yields values of the cross sections for removing one or both electrons from the negative ion and the cross section for removing the electron from the hydrogen atom. Measurements were made on hydrogen gas at 4.2, 7.4, 9.8, 14.6, and 17.9 MeV; and on helium, nitrogen, oxygen, and argon gases at 14.6 MeV.