Table Of ContentCoil ision Theory
for Atoms and
Molecules
NATO ASI Series
Advanced Science Institutes Series
A series presenting the results of activities sponsored by the NA TO Science Committee,
which aims at the dissemination of advanced scientific and technological knowledge,
with a view to strengthening links between scientific communities.
The series is published by an international board of publishers in conjunction with the
NATO Scientific Affairs Division
A Life Sciences Plenum Publishing Corporation
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C Mathematical Kluwer Academic Publishers
and Physical Sciences Dordrecht, Boston, and London
D Behavioral and Social Sciences
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F Computer and Systems Sciences Springer-Verlag
G Ecological Sciences Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London,
H Cell Biology Paris, and Tokyo
Recent Volumes in this Series
Volume 189-Band Structure Engineering in Semiconductor Microstructures
edited by R. A. Abram and M. Jaros
Volume 190-Squeezed and Nonclassical Light
edited by P. Tombesi and E. R. Pike
Volume 191-Surface and Interface Characterization by
Electron Optical Methods
edited by A. Howie and U. Valdre
Volume 192-Noise and Nonlinear Phenomena in Nuclear Systems
edited by J.L. Munoz-Cobo and F. C. Difilippo
Volume 193-The Liquid State and Its Electrical Properties
edited by E. E. Kunhardt, L. G. Christophorou,
and L. H. Luessen
Volume 194-0ptical Switching in Low-Dimensional Systems
edited by H. Haug and L. Banyai
Volume 195-Metallization and Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces
edited by I. P. Batra
Volume 196-Collision Theory for Atoms and Molecules
edited by F. A. Gianturco
Series B: Physics
Collision Theory
for Atoms and
Molecules
Edited by
F. A. Gianturco
The University of Rome
Citta Universitaria
Rome, Italy
Plenum Press
New York and London
Published in cooperation with NATO Scientific Affairs Division
Proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute on
Collision Theory for Atoms and Molecules,
held September 14-26, 1987,
in Cortona, Italy
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
NATO Advanced Study Institute on Collision Theory for Atoms and Molecules
(1987: Cortona, Italy)
Collision theory for atoms and molecules I edited by F. A. Gianturco.
p. cm.-(NATO ASI series. Series B, Physics; v. 196)
"Proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute on Collision Theory for
Atoms and Molecules, held September 14-26, 1987, in Cortona, Italy"-T.p.
verso.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5657-8 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5655-4
001: 10.1007/978-1-4684-5655-4
1. Collisions (Nuclear physics)-Congresses. 2. Electron-molecule scattering
-Congresses. 3. Photons-Scattering-Congresses. I. Gianturco, Francesco A.,
date. II. Title. III. Series.
QC794.6.C6N39 1987 89-30388
539.7 /54-dc19 CIP
© 1989 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1989
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
PREFACE
The NATO-Advanced Study Institute on "Collision Theory for Atoms and
Molecules" was made possible by the main sponsorship and the generous
financial support of the NATO Scientific Affairs Division in Brussels. Belgium.
Special thanks are therefore due to the late Dr. Mario Di Lullo and to Dr. Craig
Sinclair. of this Division. who repeatedly advised us and kept us aware of
administrative requirements. The Institute was also assisted by the financial
aid from the Scientific Committees for Chemistry and Physics of the Italian
National Research Council (CNR).
The search and selection of a suitable location. one which participants
would easily reach from any of Italy's main airports, was ably aided by the
Personnel of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa and made possible by its
Directorship. Our thanks therefore go to its present director. Prof. L. Radicati.
and to its past director. Prof. E. Vesentini who first agreed to our use of their
main building in Pisa and of their palatial facilities at the "Palazzone" in
Cortona.
The local administration in the town of Cortona was once more very
generous with their time and their share of concerts and exhibits that were
made available to us during the weeks of the Advanced Study Institute. It is
therefore a pleasure for us to thank Mr. Favi11i and his collaborators. The
hospitality of the whole staff at the Residence "Neumann" and at the
"Palazzone" itself was also warm and attentive to the needs of a rather large
v
group of hungry and thirsty cosmopolitan scientists. We remember with
gratitude aU of them.
My special and warm thanks also go to my organizers in loco, Dr. G.
Stefani and Dr. M. Venanzi who never failed to willingly accept all the
unexpected and numerous chores created by the entire correspondence and
reservation procedures for many months before the ASI. Dr. Venanzi and Ms
Filomena Reveruzzi must also be thanked for their ubiquitous presence during
the long opening hours of our Institute Office at the "Palazzone", and for their
generous disposition in helping all participants as much as possible.
Finally, last but not least, I am most grateful to Tuscany, its beautiful
landscape and its fine weather, which encouraged everyone to relax, thus
allowing the surroundings to work their magic for stimulating and inspiring
the participants.
The preparation of this book was aided in the last stages by the
professional competence and cooperation of Ms Patrizia Michetti.
Franco A. Gianturco
ASI Director
Dept. of Chemistry
University of Rome, Italy
vi
CONTENTS
International Scientific Committee ................................................................................ 1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3
SCATTERING PROCESSES WITH PHOTONS
AND ELECTRONS AS PROJECTILES
Electron and photon collisions with molecules ........................................................ 11
P.G. Burke
Electron and photon collisions with atoms ................................................................. 59
c.j. Joachain
Free-free transitions of electron-atom systems in
intense radiation fields ............................................................................................ 139
M. Gavrila
Correlation experiments with secondary electrons ................................................ 191
G. Stefani
Experiments with polarised electrons ........................................................................... 203
j. Kessler
Low-energy electron-molecule collision experiments ........................................... 215
M. Tronc
Dynamics of molecular photodissociation ................................................................... 229
R. Schinke
vii
NON-ADIABATIC SCATTERING
PROCESSES
Non-adiabatic atom-atom collisions ............................................................................... 289
B.H. Bransden
Non-adiabatic molecular collisions .................................................................................. 343
V. Sidis
Recent progress in high resolution proton-molecule
charge-transfer scattering studies ..................................................................... 401
M. Noll and J.P. Toennies
Molecular beam studies of ionization process in
collisions of excited rare gas atoms ................................................................... 413
B. Brunetti and F. Vecchiocattivi
ADIABATIC PROCESSES IN
MOLECULAR SCATTERING
Inelastic molecular collisions at thermal energies .................................................. 425
F.A. Gianturco
Chaos and collisions ................................................................................................... _.. ......... 465
W. Reinhardt
Photo ........................................................................................................................................... 519
Contributors .............................................................................................................................. 521
Participants .............................................................................................................................. 523
Index ........................................................................................................................................... 529
viii
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Prof. P.G. Burke
Dept. of Applied Mathematics
and Theoretical Physics
The Queen's University
Belfast. Northhern Ireland (U.K.)
Prof. F.A. Gianturco
Dept. of Chemistry
University of Rome
Citta Universitaria
Rome (I)
Prof. C.J, Joachain
Physique Theorique
Universite Libre de Bruxelles. Bruxelles
and
Institut de Physique Corpisculaire
Universite de Louvain. Louvain-La-Neuve
Belgium
INTRODUCTION
The present volume is a more formal and organized presentation of a
series of lectures given by various scientists during a Nato Advanced Study
Institute on the same subject which was held in Cortona, Italy, during the
month of September 1987. The aim of the collection is not simply to present
the latest scientific results in a limited area of atomic and molecular physics
but rather to provide a broad audience of researchers, those either
approaching the field for the first time or those wanting to enlarge their
expertise in it, with individual and self -consistent treatments for a wide
variety of phenomena which entail collisional events between atoms,
molecules and electrons, photons or ions. Therefore, while it appears as a
result of the ASI. it also hopes to extend its relevance and validity even
further as a useful guide for graduate schools and research groups.
It is a well known fact that all energy processes are eventually
attributable to reactions which occur on a molecular, atomic or nuclear scale.
Although we have been able to exploit such processes even if our
understanding of them has been incomplete, the usual empirical approach
cannot be used as a basis for the current quest of better and more efficient,
economic and self -sufficient energy sources. It has therefore become clear
that pure and applied science has much to offer in the way of rational
approaches to the various aspects of energy storing, exchanging and
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