Scattering of neon atom by nitrogen molecule at thermal and subthermal energies

Abstract

Abstract.Collision of Ne atom with N 2 molecule in the thermal and subthermal energy regions (0.01-260 meV) has been thoroughly investigated. Centrifugally decoupled exponential distorted wave (CDEDW) method and the BSTT interaction potential have been used to calculate elastic as well as inelastic (rotational) scattering cross sections. The resonances in the very low energy region, R -Tenergy transfer mechanisms and nature of the rotational excitation cross sections near the threshold have been examined very critically. In general CDEDW method has been found to work quite well in this energy region.

Low-Temperature Rotational Relaxation of N2 in Collisions with Ne

“…From a theoretical point of view, a variety of cross sections relevant for a wide range of transport, relaxation, and scattering processes governed by Ne/N 2 collisions have been calculated with different theoretical methods ,− for some of the various versions of the N 2 /Ne interaction potential, ,,− but no theoretical calculations of the thermal rotational relaxation cross section have been reported for the N 2 /Ne collision system at temperatures below 77 K. However, the lower temperature region is certainly of great interest. In a recent work by our group, the rotational relaxation in supersonic expansions of pure molecular nitrogen was investigated in the approximately 5−80 K temperature interval and significant discrepancies were found with previous EIF data 7 for temperatures below 30 K. Whereas the EIF data led to very high relaxation cross sections (several hundred Å 2 for T < 20 K) monotonically increasing with decreasing T , our REMPI experiments indicated the existence of a maximum at 20−30 K with cross-section values in the 50−60 Å 2 range.…”