Kinetic energy release in CO fragmentation by electron loss and capture collisions of fast B²⁺ ions

Ionization and fragmentation of CO molecules have been investigated in charge-changing collisions of B²⁺ ions at v1.69 a.u.. Fragment ions from CO were measured by using a momentum 3D imaging technique in coincidence with outgoing projectile charge states. We deduced the kinetic energy release (KER) associated with charge-changing collisions of B²⁺ to B³⁺, B¹⁺ and B⁰⁺. The KER spectra in the fragmentation to C⁺ and O⁺ ions are found to be different to some extent for these loss and capture collisions. It is concluded that the electron loss collision populates the intact CO molecule to highly excited states of (CO)²⁺¹ more effectively than electron capture collisions, resulting from different effective impact parameters associated with loss and capture collisions.