THEORETICAL TREATMENT OF INELASTIC THERMAL HE++HG COLLISIONS

The production of excited mercury ions in thermal He+ + Hg collisions is studied theoretically. The adiabatic potentials and the nonadiabati c radial couplings are calculated within the multielectron pseudopoten tial method. The coupled equations for the nuclear motion are solved f ully quantum mechanically in a diabatic representation. The partial tr ansition probabilities, the incoming and outgoing currents, the partia l cross sections and the partial rate constants are determined in the range of interest and compared with the available experimental data. I t is found that the total rate constant is mainly determined by the pa rtial rate constant for excitation of the Hg+(7p P-2(1/2)) state.