Collisional and radiative processes with participation of highly excited states of atoms and molecules

A number of processes in which highly excited states of atoms and molecules participate are investigated. These processes are of interest for the kinetics of a low-temperature plasma, for atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and for astrophysics. A quasiclassical theory is developed for transitions between Rydberg states with change of the principal quantum number, and also for the processes of direct and associative ionization of highly excited atoms, which result from collisions between a neutral particle and its atomic core. The state of the inner electrons of a quasimolecular (molecular) ion is not altered by transitions of the outer electrons. Specific calculations are carried out for the case of the collision of hydrogen H(n) with helium He (1s²) atoms. It is shown that the cross sections and the rate constants of these processes are determined in this case by the mechanism investigated in the paper, and not by scattering of the Rydberg electron by the neutral particle. The cross sections for dipole excitation and dissociation of molecular ions from high vibrational energy levels by electron impact is calculated in the Born-Coulomb approximation. The cross sections and the rates of dissociative and three-particle attachment of electrons to ions are determined. The processes of autoionization and autodissociation decay of Rydberg states of vibrationally excited molecules are determined. Also investigated are radiative transitions near the dissociation limit of diatomic molecular ions and neutral molecules, viz., photodissociation and radiative decay of high vibrational levels, and photodissociation and translational (inverse-bremsstrahlung) absorption in collision of atomic particles.Translated from Trudy Ordena Lenina Fizicheskogo Instituta im. P. Lebedeva AN SSSR, Vol. 145, pp. 80–130, 1984.