Dissociative and energy transfer reactions involving vibrationally excited H2/D2 molecules

Atomic and molecular processes involving vibrationally excited H-2/D2 molecules relevant to edge plasmas are reviewed. In particular, cross-sections for electron impact dissociation processes of vibrationally excited H-2(v) and D2(V) molecules (including dissociative attachment and dissociative ionization) as well as dissociation of H-2+(v) are presented and discussed. Also discussed are cross-sections for electron impact vibrational excitation of H-2(v) and D2(v) either by a resonant mechanism or by indirect excitation through electronic excited states radiatively cascading onto the ground state. For heavy particle molecular processes, the most important vibrational energy exchange processes due to the gas phase and to gas-surface collisions are discussed, namely the deactivation of H-2(V) and D2(v) by H-2/D2 and by atomic H/D species as well as in collisions with metallic surfaces.