Reactive scattering of a supersonic oxygen atom beam O + I2

Reactive scattering of O atoms with I₂ molecules has been studied at an initial translational energy E = 43 kJ mol^-1 using a supersonic beam of O atoms seeded in He and E = 18 kJ mol^-1 using O atoms seeded in Ne. Velocity distributions of OI product were measured by cross-correlation time-of-flight analysis. Full contour maps of the differential reaction cross section were obtained which show predominantly rebound scattering at both initial translational energies. Scattering in the forward direction has a product translational energy distribution similar to that predicted for a long-lived collision complex but scattering in the backward direction has a much higher product translational energy. The greater predominance of rebound scattering observed for O + I₂ compared with O + Br₂ may be attributed to the greater exoergicity of the O + I₂ reaction. However, comparison with the O + IBr reaction which exhibits a long-lived collision complex mechanism indicates that the predominance of backward scattering for O + I₂ also arises from diminished forward scattering from larger impact parameter collisions.     

Reactive scattering of oxygen atoms: O+I2, ICl,Br2

Angular and velocity distribution measurements of IO reactive scattering from crossed beams of O atoms and halogen molecules I₂, ICl are reported. Angular distribution measurements are reported for BrO from O + Br₂. The O atom beam was generated at ～350 K from a microwave discharge source and the halogen molecule beam from a supersonic nozzle source at ～380 K. The product time-of-flight distribution was recorded at each laboratory scattering angle by a mini-computer. The scattering data are found to be in excellent agreement with the RRKM-AM model of reactive scattering via a long-lived collision complex. The observation of IO product from O + ICl identifies the complex with a bound O-I-Cl triplet state, previously observed for O-Cl-Cl in matrix isolation studies, as proposed by Herschbach. The maximum centrifugal barrier B _m′ for dissociation of the long-lived complex can be accurately determined, particularly for O + I₂. The B _m′ values indicate that both the entrance and exit valleys of the potential energy surface are governed by centrifugal barriers in the region of long-range van der Waals potentials. The comparatively small reaction cross section (e.g. Q ～ 2 Ų for O + Br₂ from discharge flow measurements) is attributed primarily to an orientation requirement for reaction. The RRKM-AM model indicates a ‘tight linear’ transition state for dissociation of the O-I-I complex, corresponding to significant long-range IO orienting forces in the exit valley of the potential energy surface.     

Reactive scattering of a supersonic alkali atom beam: K + Br2, BrCN,SnCl4, PCl3, CCl4, CH3I

Angular distribution measurements of reactive scattering of a supersonic potassium atom beam by a series of molecules are reported with initial kinetic energy (～ 5 kcal mole^-1) above the thermal energy range. The narrow Laval nozzle velocity distribution gives improved resolution over thermal energy measurements. Total reaction cross sections are found to decrease with energy. Differential reaction cross sections for Br₂, BrCN and CCl₄ show increased forward scattering compared with thermal energies but for CH₃I there is no change to within experimental error. The BrCN scattering is compatible with spectator-stripping dynamics, though this limit has not been reached in the Br₂ scattering. The SnCl₄ differential reaction cross section appears not to be compatible with a single peak in the centre of mass recoil velocity distribution. It is suggested that high and low velocity contributions to the intensity may arise from a long-lived collision complex dissociating by two reaction paths.     

Reactive scattering of a supersonic deuterium atom beam : D+Br2, CF3I,C2F5I,C3F7I

Reactive scattering of D atoms with Br₂, CF₃I, C₂F₅I and C₃F₇I molecules has been studied at an initial translational energy E = 5·3 kJ mol^-1 using a supersonic beam of D atoms seeded in He. Deuterium halide product is scattered in the backward direction with respect to the incident D atoms, with substantial energy disposed into product translation in all cases. The fraction of the total available energy which is disposed into product translation, is greater for the fluoralkyl iodides than for Br₂ and decreases slightly along the series CF₃I, C₂F₅I, C₃F₇I. These results demonstrate that the reaction of D atoms with fluoroalkyl iodides occurs only in collisions at small impact parameters with strong repulsion between the reaction products. The potential energy surfaces for the reactions of the fluoroalkyl iodides are similar to that for the D + Br₂ reaction but involve the release of a still greater proportion of the reaction exoergicity in the exit valley of the surface. Only a small fraction, if any, of the product repulsion is transferred to internal excitation of the product fluoroalkyl radical.     

Demonstration of a cold atom beam splitter on atom chip

We report an experimental demonstration of a new scheme to split cold atoms on an atom chip. The atom chip consists of a U-wire and a Z-wire. The cold atom cloud is initially loaded and prepared in the Z-trap, which is split into two separate parts by switching on the current of the U-wire. The two separate atom clouds have a distance more than one millimeter apart from each other and show almost symmetrical profiles, corresponding to about a 50/50 splitting ratio.     

Effect of the molecular structure on the gas-surface scattering studied by supersonic molecular beam

The experimental apparatus for investigating the gas-surface interaction has been newly developed. The coherent length of the helium, the energy resolution and the angular spread of the beam in the apparatus were established as ω= 16 nm, DE/E = 2.4%\Delta E/E = 2.4{\%} and Δθ= 0.5^○, respectively, through the measurements of the time-of-flight of He beam and of the angular intensity distributions of He scattered from LiF(001). The angular intensity distributions of Ar, N₂ and CO scattered from the LiF(001) surface along the [100] azimuthal direction were then measured as a function of incident translational energy. The effects of the molecular structural anisotropy and center-of-mass position on the gas-surface inelastic collision at the corrugated surface are discussed with predictions based on a recently developed simple classical theory of the ellipsoid-washboard model.     

An atom scattering study of the kinetics of oxygen adsorption on a nickel (001) surface

A kinematic analysis of the scattering of helium atoms from oxygen adsorbed on Nickel (001) has been performed. For a substrate temperature of 375 K and an oxygen coverage of θ ～ 0.21 a metastable mixture of p(2×2) without long range order and some c(2×2) is obtained. Annealing at 475 K results in a well ordered p(2×2) structure with long range order. An order-disorder transition is identified at ～ 535 K.     

Trapping of a supersonic beam in a traveling magnetic wave

Here we report on a new approach to the magnetic deceleration of supersonic beams, based on the generation of a propagating wave of magnetic field. Atoms and molecules possessing a magnetic dipole moment, in so-called low field seeking quantum states, are trapped around a node of the propagating wave. The wave travels at a desired velocity in the direction of the supersonic beam, which can be chosen to match a velocity class populated in the beam. An additional quadrupole guide provides transverse confinement, independently of the decelerator itself. Our technique has been conceived to generate a smooth motion of the magnetic wave, which should optimize the efficiency of the trapping during a future Zeeman deceleration of the beam. We demonstrate the trapping of metastable argon atoms in a magnetic wave traveling at selected, constant velocities.     

The internal energy of small ammonia clusters in a supersonic beam and after scattering off LiF(100)

The photoionization efficiency (PIE) of neutral ammonia clusters is studied as a function of photon energy. From these curves the internal energies of clusters in the incident supersonic beam and of clusters surviving after scattering off a LiF(100) surface are derived. A supersonic expansion of ammonia seeded in He produces small clusters of various size but with uniform kinetic energy of about 285 meV per monomer molecule. The mass distribution of clusters in the jet and of the scattered particles is measured in a reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometer by single photon photoionization using vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser radiation tunable between and . In the incident beam the internal energies of clusters up to n = 15 do not vary significantly and amount to an average of about . After scattering off LiF(100) the internal energy of clusters up to n = 4 increases with fragment size and amounts to about half a monomer binding energy. Received 18 October 1999 and Received in final form 10 December 1999     

Pauli exchange effects in the elastic scattering of O + O

The real optical potential for ¹⁶O+¹⁶O system is calculated within a generalized version of the double-folding model with the Pauli knock-on exchange effects between the projectile nucleons and the target nucleons taken into account from first principle. The elastic scattering data at E_lab=350 MeV supplemented by the new measurement at larger angles seem to be the first case in heavy-ion scattering where one can test the reliability of different theoretical heavy-ion optical potentials. Predictions are made for the elastic scattering of ¹⁶O+¹⁶O at laboratory energies of 240–480 MeV to illustrare the energy dependence of the rainbow structure which has been clearly observed in experiment at 350 MeV.     

Orientation of benzene in supersonic expansions, probed by IR-laser absorption and by molecular beam scattering

This work represents the first experimental demonstration that planar molecules tend to travel as a "frisbee" when a gaseous mixture with lighter carriers expands into a vacuum, the orientation being due to collisions. The molecule is benzene, the prototype of aromatic chemistry. The demonstration is via two complementary experiments: interrogating benzene by IR-laser light and controlling its orientation by selective scattering on rare gas targets. The results cast new light on the microscopic mechanisms of collisional alignment and suggest a useful way to produce intense beams of aligned molecules, permitting studies of steric effects in gas-phase processes and in surface catalysis.     

High energy elastice + − O2 scattering

Theoretical differential cross-sections are obtained for the elastic scattering of fast (E _i ⩾ 200 eV) positrons by oxygen molecules. Employing the independent atom model, the atomic scattering amplitudes are calculated with the (static + polarization) model potentials, in the partial wave analysis (PWA). Comparisons made with the theory and experiments on the incident electrons, show significant differences at small angles.     

Anomalous scattering of a relativistic electron beam in a beam created plasma

Measurements of the velocity angular distribution of a relativistic electron beam (0.8 MV, 6 kA, 150 ns) after propagation through hydrogen gas are presented. At a pressure of 25 Pa scattering of the beam electrons into a preferential angular interval is observed. At 190 Pa anomalously large scattering is observed, up to an angular width of 90°, during about 30 ns.     

Coherent slowing of a supersonic beam with an atomic paddle

We report the slowing of a supersonic beam by elastic reflection from a receding atomic mirror. We use a pulsed supersonic nozzle to generate a 511+/-9 m/s beam of helium that we slow by reflection from a Si(111)-H(1x1) crystal placed on the tip of a spinning rotor. We were able to reduce the velocity of helium by 246 m/s and show that the temperature of the slowed beam is lower than 250 mK in the comoving frame.     

Inelastic scattering of charged particles by a statistical atom

The angular and energy distribution of secondary electrons ejected in collisions of heavy charged particles has been calculated in the binary encounter approximation using the statistical Thomas-Fermi method. Comparisons are made with reported experimental results.     

Mie scattering of a partially coherent beam

The scattering of a partially coherent electromagnetic beam by a dielectric sphere is described. Two methods are presented: a coherent mode representation and a spherical harmonics expansion. In the case of a distant blackbody source, the coherent modes are plane waves and the scattered intensity is obtained by a convolution of the classical Mie results over the source surface.