Electron affinity measurements of lanthanide atoms: Pr, Nd, and Tb

Electron affinities (EAs) of many lanthanide elements still remain unknown due to their complicated electronic structures and relatively low EA values. In the present work, we utilized the slow-velocity map-imaging method combined with an ion trap to resolve conundrums. The EA values of praseodymium, neodymium, and terbium are determined to be 881.0(37) cm(-1) or 0.109 23(46) eV, 786.3(26) cm(-1) or 0.097 48(31) eV, and 1059.1(64) cm(-1) or 0.131 31(79) eV, respectively. We also observed several excited states of Pr, Nd, and Tb anions.