Research in differential cross-sections with laser-excited atoms

R. Burlon, P. Cavaliere, G. Ferrante

M. Allegrini, Paola Bicchi, L. Moi

Ingolf Volker Hertel, W. Stoll

A. Grimpe

Optical collisions in a crossed beam experiment are examined for the atomic collision pairs LiHe, LiNe, NaNe.Differential cross sections are measured in order to probe the quallity of quantum chemical calculated and spectroscopical determined molecular potentials.The linear polarization of the excitation laser is used to manipulate the contrast of the differential cross sections for NaNe.Using elliptical polarized light total control over the angular position and the contrast of the interference pattern is demonstrated.Differential cross sections for the collision pairs LiH and LiD show a pronounced oscillatory structure, which for the first time is observed for atom-molecule optical collisions.

H. P. Saha, John S. Dahler, Dumont M. Jones

Formulas are derived for the differential and integral cross sections associated with laser-induced excitation transfer. The theory is patterned closely after our recent treatment of laser-induced chemi-ionization. It is found that cross sections specific to single-photon absorption are proportional to the square of the cosine of the angle between the laser polarization and the initial relative velocity of the two colliding atoms. The distortion by a laser of the cross section for an elastic scattering event also is treated. Finally, a cross-section formula is derived for a collision-induced two-photon absorption, mediated by a single intermediate electronic state.

M. Allegrini