A. Billeb et B. Stewart, CLASSICAL DYNAMICS OF VIBRATIONAL TRANSFER IN LI(2)A(1)SIGMA(-NE COLLISIONS()(U)), Chemical physics letters, 247(4-6), 1995, pp. 433-439
Classical trajectory calculations on an ab initio potential surface fo
r the Li-2 A (t) Sigma(u)(+)-Ne system show that vibrationally inelast
ic collisions at low reagent excitation are dominated by impacts of th
e atom with the side of the molecule. As molecular excitation increase
s, impacts nearer the end of the molecule increase in importance. The
two classes of collisions are clearly distinguishable in computed velo
city-dependent cross sections, and should be observable in some cases
as a bimodal angular momentum distribution in velocity-averaged rare c
onstants. We discuss experimental data in light of these observations
and suggest measurements that should clearly display evidence of the t
wo mechanisms.