Polarization effects in ionizing thermal energy collisions of laser-excited Ne(3p 3 D 3) atoms with Ar atoms

Symmetry Dependence of the Continuum Coupling in the Chemi-ionization of Li(22S1/2) by He(23S1, 23PJ)

In the literature, the chemi-ionization of Li in the 2²S_1/2 ground level by He in a metastable state is typically described as an electron transfer process in which an electron from the 2s orbital of Li is transferred to the 1s orbital of He while an electron from the 2s orbital of He is ejected. Therefore, one would not assume that the orbital of the valence electron of He strongly influences the coupling strength of the collision complex to the ionization continuum. However, we observe that the chemi-ionization rate is decreased when He is laser-excited from the metastable 2³S₁ level to the 2³P_J level (with J = 0, 1, 2). A semiclassical treatment of the reaction dynamics reveals a strong dependence of the ionization rate on the reaction-channel-specific ionization width functions to which the observed decrease of the rate coefficients can be related to. The results are relevant for the improved understanding and control of chemi-ionization processes in merged beams and in traps.

Stereodynamics of Ne(3P2) reacting with Ar, Kr, Xe, and N2

Stereodynamics experiments of Ne(³P₂) reacting with Ar, Kr, Xe, and N₂ leading to Penning and associative ionization have been performed in a crossed molecular beam apparatus. A curved magnetic hexapole was used to state-select and polarize Ne(³P₂) atoms which were then oriented in a rotatable magnetic field and crossed with a beam of Ar, Kr, Xe, or N₂. The ratio of associative to Penning ionization was recorded as a function of the magnetic field direction for collision energies between 320 cm^-1 and 500 cm^-1. Reactivities are obtained for individual states that differ only in Ω, the projection of the neon total angular momentum vector on the inter-particle axis. The results are rationalized on the basis of a model involving a long-range and a short-range reaction mechanism. Substantially lower probability for associative ionization was observed for N₂, suggesting that predissociation plays a critical role in the overall reaction pathway.

Coherent control of collision processes: Penning versus associative ionization

Coherent control theory is applied to the control of Ne*(3s,(3)P2)+Ar((1)S0) collisions and computations are shown that display extensive control over these processes. Indeed we demonstrate that it is possible to essentially turn on and off the cross sections for both the Penning and associative ionization processes. This facility arises from the interference between matter waves induced by creating a linear superposition of the degenerate M={-2,-1,0,1,2} Zeeman sublevels of the Ne*(3s,(3)P2) target atom. The computations, conducted at collision energies in the 1-8 kcal/mole range, are based on combining, within the "rotating atom approximation," empirically derived and ab initio ionization widths.