Average charge states of heavy atoms in dilute hydrogen

We measured the average electronic charge (q) of heavy ions with atomic numbers Z = 89 through 116. traversing dilute hydrogen gas with velocities ranging from I to 2.6 tinies the Bohr velocity. We observe a strong linear dependence of the average charge on the velocity of the ions, and only a weak dependence oil their atomic number Z. A more detailed examination of the experimental results shows that the (q) values reflect the influence of the 5f electron shell on the properties of these elements.