Vibrational population of H 2 + after electroionization of thermal H2

In an ion trap experiment we have determined the vibrational population of the lowest 9 vibrational levels of H ₂ ⁺ . We used photodissociation of the trapped molecules by 248 nm light from an excimer laser and the dependence of the photodissociation cross section from the vibrational state. Our results are in good agreement to calculations, which are based on the Franck-Condon principle, but include a variation of the internuclear distance in the transition matrix element.