Charge exchange of atoms in highly excited states on ions when accidental resonance is present

Ming-Tie Huang

Ming Li, Constantinos Makrides, Alexander A. Petrov +1 more

Andrew J. Speck, C. H. Storry, Eric A. Hessels +1 more

Lasers are used to choose the binding energies of highly excited positronium atoms (Ps*) created via charge exchange collisions. The lasers directly excite cesium (Cs) atoms to highly excited states (Cs*). These large Cs*atoms have a large cross section for resonant charge exchange collisions with trapped positrons. Highly excited Ps* is formed with a binding energy that is determined by the initial laser excitation. These Ps* should have a large cross section for resonant charge exchange collisions with trapped antiprotons—suggesting a possible new way to produce cold antihydrogen.

D. S. Fisher, C. W. Fehrenbach, S. R. Lundeen +2 more

Charge transfer collisions between slow ions and Rydberg atoms have been studied for ion charges $q\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1--4$, using resonant laser excitation to detect specific energy states of the collision products. The data collected show a clear resonance in the capture cross section to a particular energy state as the binding energy of the Rydberg target is varied. The resonance position differs significantly from the predictions of the classical overbarrier model, and its width becomes very small (0.025 eV) at the lowest velocities studied.

Ming Li, Alexander A. Petrov, Svetlana Kotochigova

Владимир Сергеевич Лебедев, И. Л. Бейгман