Electron-impact excitation of the Rydberg levels of the oxygen molecule

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:5795164

Chung, S; Lin, C C; Lee, E T

Electron-impact cross sections for exciting the oxygen molecule from the ground electronic level to the ns sigma sub g, np sigma sub u, nd sigma subg, nf sigma sub u, np pi sub u, nd pi sub g, and nf pi sub u. Rydberg levels associated with the O2+(B2 sigma(-)sub g) and O2(+)(b4 sigma(-) sub g) cores are presented. For each Rydberg series of a given l, m, and O2+ core state, the cross sections exhibit n dependence of the form 1/n to the alpha power with alpha varying from one series to another in the range of 1.47 to 4.60 in contrast to the more universal 1/n-cubed dependence for the hydrogen atom. The potential cusps at the two nuclear sites of the molecule make the Rydberg orbital density near the origin quite different from the hydrogen atom, thereby spoiling the simple 1/n-cubed dependence. (JHD)

• Research Organization: Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5795164
• Report Number(s): AD-A-230421/0/XAB; GL-TR--90-0359
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640304* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Collision Phenomena
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMS
COLLISIONS
CROSS SECTIONS
DENSITY
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRON-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITATION
EXCITED STATES
FERMIONS
GROUND LEVEL
HYDROGEN
LEPTONS
LEVELS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
MOLECULES
NONMETALS
ORBITS
OXYGEN
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POWER
RYDBERG STATES