Collisional ionization and destruction cross sections for hydrogen and helium Rydberg atoms on Ar, Xe, and N[sub 2]: Failure of the independent-particle model

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Physical Review A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.47.1907· OSTI ID:6941349

Renwick, S P; Deng, F; Martinez, H; Morgan, T J ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459 (United States)

Absolute cross sections for the collisional ionization and the total destruction of hydrogen and helium atoms in low-lying Rydberg states colliding with Ar, Xe, and N[sub 2] have been measured over the energy range from 1.0 to 30 keV/amu. The independent-particle model fails to explain the behavior of the Rydberg atom's outer electron in ionization collisions below 3 keV/amu for He (12[le][ital n][le]15) on Xe and N[sub 2], but not on Ar. This represents an observation of the model's failure in collisions of Rydberg atoms with neutral perturbers in this energy range and shows that at low energies, where a molecular picture of the core-target scattering is valid, the Rydberg electron is sensitive to details of the molecular interactions between the target and the Rydberg atom's core.

• OSTI ID: 6941349
• Journal Information: Physical Review A; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review A; (United States) Vol. 47:3; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

664300* -- Atomic & Molecular Physics-- Collision Phenomena-- (1992-)
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOM-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
COLLISIONS
CROSS SECTIONS
DE-EXCITATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY RANGE
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITED STATES
FLUIDS
GASES
HELIUM
HYDROGEN
IONIZATION
KEV RANGE
KEV RANGE 01-10
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
RARE GASES
RYDBERG STATES
XENON