EFFECTS OF EXCITATION AND ORBITAL ALIGNMENT ON ELECTRON-TRANSFER IN NA-NA COLLISIONS()

The effects of excitation and orbital alignment on the electron transf er process in Na+-Na(3s, 3p) collisions art: investigated experimental ly and theoretically over a wide range of impact energies. Experimenta lly, the Na(3p) integral alignment parameter and the ratios between th e integral transfer cross sections for Na(3p Sigma, Pi) targets to tha t for a Na(3s) target have been determined using an optically prepared target. The results are in good agreement with earlier data at lower energies of Campbell er al. Theoretically, the integral cross section results of our 26-state two-centre atomic orbital close-coupling calcu lations are in good agreement with all experimental data, including th e absolute electron transfer cross section measurements of Daley and P erel. These processes are now well understood over more than three ord ers of magnitude for the impact energy range.