Knowledge Bank

Rydberg states lying below the ground states of molecular ions play an important role in electron-ion recombination. Their presence is manifest in the form of resonances in the cross section in both theoretical and experimental $studies1$. A review of recent studies on $H2+$ and $H3+$ recombination will be given. In the latter case, studies of the branching ratios for the various recombination channels have revealed that $H3+$ can act as an intermediate state in the recombination process. (Work supported by US AFOSR and Canadian NSERC).