Ionization in collisions between slow atoms

Atomic collisions involving transitions between states in the discrete and continuous spectra are discussed in terms of the adiabatic approximation, using the time-independent perturbation theory. The ionization and recombination cross sections are found by a semiempirical method for the He + He He + He⁺ + e reaction.     

Radiative ionization in slow ion-atom collisions

Bremsstrahlung from the ionization of inner shell electrons in slow ion atom collisions is considered. The yield predicted by the binary encounter approximation is small compared with experiment in 12–33 MeV O + Zr and O + Au collisions.     

Transfer and ionization in collisions of positrons with atoms

Kinematic singularities in certain few-body reactions may provide special features that are both conceptually simple and observable. Particle transfer is such a reaction. At high velocities, it is characterized by singularities that are manifested by peaks and ridges in differential cross sections. For electrons captured by protons, some of these singular features have been observed. For capture by positrons, i.e. positronium formation, new features are predicted.     

Multichannel excitation cross sections of sodium atoms at slow collisions with hydrogen atoms

Excitation cross sections at slow collisions of hydrogen and sodium atoms are calculated based on two sets of quantum-chemical data. The results of calculations permit one to conclude that, upon the excitation of the sodium atom from the ground state in the region of near-threshold energies, the cross sections are highly sensitive to matrix nonadiabaticity elements. In addition, the matrix nonadiabaticity element was varied for the transition 3s → 3p of the sodium atom at fixed collision energy near the reaction threshold. It was found that the variation leads to a significant change in the excitation cross section 3s → 3p, and the range of the energetic dependence of this cross section was determined.     

Resonances at slow electron collisions with zinc atoms and ions

The optical excitation functions of four spectral lines corresponding to the transitions from the 4¹ D ₂, 5³ S ₁, 4³ D _j, and 6¹ S ₀ levels of atomic Zn were investigated with an electron spectrometer of a new construction. For the first time, elastic scattering of slow electrons from the Zn ions at an angle close to 180° was studied. In the energy range under investigation (0–7 eV), both the optical excitation functions of atomic spectral lines and the differential cross section of elastic scattering manifested the resonant structure caused by the contribution of autoionization states of the atom.     

Transitions between Rydberg states of diatomic molecules in slow collisions with atoms

A close analytic representation has been found for the Green function of highly excited diatomic molecule in the framework of the multichannel quantum defect method. This expression has been used to describe the potential energy surfaces of the quasi-molecule X ₂ ^* +A. The specific behaviour of the terms of this system has been studied as a function of the angular orientation of the moleculeX ₂ and of the distanceR between the molecule and atomA. The terms have been found to have quasi-crossings responsible for the transitions when particles suffer collision. Some terms located near the continuous spectrum boundary, when the distance varies, cross the spectrum boundary and pass into auto-ionization state. Calculations have been made for the system H ₂ ^* +B, whereB is an inert gas atom. Cross-sections of the vibrational transitions occurring under slow atom-molecule collisions have been evaluated.     

Resonances at collisions of slow electrons with cadmium atoms and ions

Using the crossed-beam method and a hypocycloidal electron spectrometer, the energy dependence of the ionization cross section for the cadmium atom has been studied in the near-threshold region and the elastic scattering of slow electrons at an angle close to 180° by Cd⁺ ions was studied for the first time. Within the region under study (0–7 eV above the first atomic ionization potential), a resonance structure determined by the contribution of atomic autoionization states is revealed in both the ionization curve and differential cross section of elastic scattering. The structure in the measured curves has been analyzed with the use of data on the ejected-electron spectra obtained under the excitation of autoionization states of Cd atoms, as well as the data on the optical excitation functions for the atomic spectral lines at λ=430.7 nm (5¹ P ₁-8¹ S ₀), 515.5 nm (5¹ P ₁-7¹ S ₀), 298.0 nm (5³ P ₂-6³ D _j ), and 361.0 nm (5³ P ₂-5³ D _j ).     

l mixing and dissociation of Rydberg molecules accompanying slow collisions with inert-gas atoms

Processes involving a change of orbital angular momentum l and the dissociation of Rydberg molecules when they collide with inert-gas atoms are considered, using a method based on analyzing the terms of the interacting systems. The proposed method makes it possible to take into account the perturbations in a large group of Rydberg states that weakly penetrate into the ion core and to go beyond the limits of the two-level approximations [R. F. Stebbings and F. B. Dunning, eds., Rydberg States of Atoms and Molecules (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1983; Mir, Moscow, 1985)] widely used in the theory of l mixing with the participation of Rydberg atoms. Using the Na**(nd)+Xe reaction as an example, it is demonstrated that this method gives good results in a wide range of variation of the principal quantum number n of the Rydberg electron (n≈10–40). Features of the l mixing and dissociation of Rydberg molecules are studied for the H₂**+Xe system. It is shown that collisional dissociation occurs by the formation of an intermediate Rydberg state of the molecules, followed by self-decay into a dissociative continuum. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 100–113 (July 1998)     

Geometrical model approximation for ionization cross sections of atoms and ions in ion-atom collisions

The applicability of the geometrical model (GM) proposed in [14, 15] to calculate the ionization probability and cross section of atoms and ions during collisions with ions, including structural ions, was studied at high velocities of partners. The GM represents a version of the classical impulse approximation. It was shown that the GM in all cases under consideration allows estimation of the ionization probability and total corss section of an atom or an ion during collisions with ions with deviations of no more than 50% from the results of the classical Monte Carlo method. GM calculations are rather simple in computation respect and limit the ionization probability by unity at arbitrary impact parameters.     

低能He2+-He碰撞体系转移电离机理的实验研究

利用冷靶反冲离子动量谱仪,对低能He²⁺-He碰撞反应中产生的反冲靶离子和炮弹离子进行了符合测量,根据反冲靶离子的动量,研究了转移电离过程中的电荷转移机理.实验结果表明：在20—40 keV能量范围内,靶原子上的一个电子俘获到炮弹离子的基态,另一个电子直接发射到靶的连续态的直接电离及另一个电子俘获到炮弹离子的连续态的过程(ECC)是最主要的转移电离机理,且ECC过程主要发生在大碰撞参数条件下;炮弹离子俘获两个电子处在双激发态的自电离过程的贡献很小. 关键词： 冷靶反冲离子动量谱仪 转移电离机理 离子原子碰撞     

Excitation and ionization cross sections of hydrogen-like atoms in collisions with relativistic highly charged ions

The relativistic eikonal approximation and a matching procedure are used to describe excitation and ionization of hydrogen-like atoms from an arbitrary discrete energy state by the impact of a highly charged relativistic bare ion. Bethe-type formulas are derived that are asymptotically valid in the limits of v → c and Z ? 1, where v is the relative collision velocity, c is the speed of light, and Z is the ion charge.     

Electron transfer and orbital hybridization in slow collisions between excited hydrogen atoms and aluminum surfaces

We have developed a new two-center close-coupling approach in which the time-dependent Schrödinger equation is solved for an active electron interacting with a slow projectile and a metal surface. The motion of the active electron in the metal subspace is discretized by using Weyl wave packets. Results for the time evolution of the atomic and metallic population amplitudes for the H/Al system are shown and discussed.     

Atomic jet with ionization detection for laser spectroscopy of Rydberg atoms under collisions and fields

An efficient atomic jet setup offering many unprecedented advantages over a conventional heat pipe setup used in multi-photon spectroscopy, mainly of alkaline-earth metals, has been constructed by a scheme in which the sample material is encapsulated in a disposable cartridge oven located inside a thermally stabilised heat-pipe and is made to effuse in to a row of atomic beams merging to form a jet target. This novel scheme combines the advantages of both high density atomic beam with convenient geometry for orthogonal excitation and high sensitive ionisation detection capabilities of thermionic diodes, besides eliminating several problems inherent in the usual heat-pipe operation. Out of various designs, typical results are presented for a linear heat-pipe with vertical atomic jet used in two-photon spectroscopy of highly excited states of Sr I. Controlled excitations of both Rydberg and non-Rydberg states, which cannot otherwise be accessed from the ground state due to parity and spectroscopic selection rules, have been achieved by employing a weak electric field complimented by collisions. The atomic jet setup is also found very useful for the study of collisional broadening and shift of excited states and time evolution of Rydberg atoms. PACS 32.80.Rm     

n-changing collisions of Rydberg atoms with ground-state atoms

The inelastic transitions between hydrogenic energy levels of a Rydberg atom induced in collisions with ground-state atoms are considered. The corresponding transition probability and cross section are calculated using the Fermi pseudopotential to describe the atom-Rydberg-atom interaction and a quasiclassical expression for the density distribution of the Rydberg electron.     

L-shell ionization in proton-atom collisions

The cross section of ionization of atoms by protons is calculated in the plane-wave approximation. It is shown that the wave function of the ejected electron must be orthogonal to all wave functions of the atom. A method taking into account a finite number of wave functions in the calculation of the ionization amplitude is proposed. The calculated cross sections of ionization of nitrogen, oxygen, and neon atoms by protons agree well with the experimental data and results of calculations carried out by other authors.