Selectivity with respect to the orbital polarization in the energy-pooling process with sodium atoms

Abstract

Cross sections sigma (m1m2)nl for the energy pooling processes in the collision between two excited sodium atoms are calculated for the case when the partners are prepared in the 3p-excited states with the definite orbital momentum projections m1 and m2. As a result of the process one of the colliding atoms comes to the ground state and the other partner is excited to nl state with nl=5s, 4d, 4f. The collision velocity is equal to or higher than thermal. The Landau-Zener-locking model (LZ-locking) is developed: the sudden change of the type of the coupling between the electron orbital momentum and the internuclear axis (the locking approximation) is combined with the multicrossing Landau-Zener model. The validity of the LZ-locking model is analysed. The results show strong cross section dependence on the initial quantum numbers m1 and m2, especially in the 5s channel.

Multicrossing Landau-Zener and close-coupling calculations of electron transfer in collisions

“…Thus, in this case the MLZ model predicts that no inelastic process will take place in the collision, which is clearly not correct. To circumvent this problem we include the rotational coupling in the MLZ model by introducing the concept of a locking radius (Yurova 1995, Dashevskaya and Nikitin 1993, Hertel et al 1985. Although other solutions to this deficiency have been suggested (Ostrovsky 1991) we intend to pursue the locking-radius concept owing to its simple implementation.…”

“…cos 2 φ L for the initial state and sin 2 φ L for the rotationally populated state. If R L is smaller than the outermost crossing point R × of either of the entrance channels, we follow Yurova (1995) putting R L = R × .…”