INTERACTION ANISOTROPY AND VIBROTATIONAL EXCITATION IN PROTON-SCATTERING FROM N-2((1)SIGMA(+)(G))

Stimulated by the experimentally observed low vibrational inelasticity and the somewhat stronger rotational inelasticity in the H+-N-2 colli sions, we present here a quantum dynamics study of the scattering proc ess in the framework of vibrational close-coupling rotational infinite -order sudden approximation. We have employed the recently obtained gr ound-state potential-energy surface of the system from which both rota tional and vibrational coupling potentials can be obtained. The variou s computed dynamical attributes such as differential and integral cros s sections, and average vibrational as well as rotational energy trans fers, are analyzed in detail and compared successfully with the availa ble experimental results. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics. [S00 21-9606(97)02141-7].