Abstract
Through beam-beam experiments at the Multicharged Ion Research Facility (MIRF) at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and at the CRYRING heavy ion storage ring at Stockholm
University, we are seeking to formulate a more complete picture of electron-impact dissociation of
molecular ions. These inelastic collisions play important roles in many low temperature plasmas
such as in divertors of fusion devices and in astrophysical environments. An electron-ion crossed
beams experiment at ORNL investigates the dissociative excitation and dissociative ionization
of molecular ions from a few eV up to 100 eV. Measurements on dissociative recombination
(DR) experiments are made at CRYRING, where chemical branching fractions and fragmentation
dynamics are studied. Taking advantage of a 250-kV acceleration platform at the MIRF, a merged
electron-ion beams energy loss apparatus is employed to study DR down to zero energy. Recent
results on the dissociation of molecular ions of importance in fusion and astrophysics are presented.
