Coherence parameters for He⁺(2p) capture and H(2p) excitation in He²⁺-H(1s) collisions

Abstract

Semiclassical coupled channel calculations have been carried out for the collision system He²⁺-H(1s) in the velocity range 0.15–3.0 a.u. (impact energies 0.5–225 keV/amu) in order to study capture probabilities and alignment and orientation parameters for the dominant He⁺(n=2) channels. A 14-state AO basis set calculation has been combined with an analytical treatment of the asymptotic collision region. For impact velocities about and abovev=0.6 a.u. a strong propensity for resonance capture into an oriented He⁺(2p) state with the same sense of rotation as the collisional rotation of the internuclear axis is predicted together with a very smooth behaviour of the alignment angle as function of impact parameter. Eikonal method calculations of differential capture cross sections predict that the left/right orientation asymmetry will prevail in differential scattering experiments. The resulting total cross sections for capture into specificnl-substates (n=2, 3) and the total light polarisation parameter for He⁺(2p) capture compare well with previous work. Finally we report H(2s,2p) excitation cross sections, probabilties and H(2p) alignment and orientation parameters, following the established propensity rule for orientation in H(2p) excitation.