Charge exchange at very low collision energies

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · AIP Conference Proceedings

OSTI ID:686395

Esry, B D ^[1]

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1. Institute for Theoretical Atomic and Molecular Physics, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138; Physics Department, Texas AM University, College Station, Texas 77843-4242 (United States)

Two of the simplest collision systems one can study are H{sup +}+H(1s) and H{sup +}+D(1s). Electron transfer is resonant in the first and nearly resonant in the latter because of the 3.7 meV gap between H(1s) and D(1s). Once the collision velocity becomes small enough quantum effects become more pronounced. However, these very low energies, of a few meV, are inaccessible using standard collision techniques. {ital We hereby suggest a method in which a dissociating} HD{sup +} {ital molecular ion is the {open_quotes}accelerator{close_quotes} used to measure electron transfer in the} H{sup +}{ital +D(1s)} {ital collision system down to a few meV}. When a HD molecule is ionized quickly about 1{percent} of the HD{sup +}(1s{sigma}) is in the vibrational continuum. During the dissociation, the electron initially centered on the D core can make a transition to the H core when the 2p{sigma} and the 1s{sigma} potential energy curves associated with the two dissociation limits get close to each other. It is important to note that during molecular dissociation the {open_quotes}avoided crossing{close_quotes} is crossed only once in contrast to twice during a full collision. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}

• OSTI ID: 686395
• Report Number(s): CONF-981122--
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 475; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
CHARGE EXCHANGE
CROSS SECTIONS
DEUTERIUM
HYDROGEN
ION-ATOM COLLISIONS