Abstract
The complex interaction potentials arising in the approach of two metastable hydrogen atoms are calculated and the cross sections for ionization, excitation transfer, and elastic scattering are predicted. The measured cross section for associative ionization at equals . We calculate a total ionization cross section of , varying as at higher energies. Thus it appears that dissociative ionization is the major ionization channel. We find also that double excitation transfer into two excited atoms is still more probable with the large cross section of at varying as at higher energies. The detection of the resulting Lyman alpha photons would provide a diagnostic test of our predictions.
- Received 12 June 2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.4245
©2000 American Physical Society