FORMATION OF ARGON DIMERS IN TERNARY MONOMER COLLISIONS - A CLASSICALTRAJECTORY STUDY

Classical trajectories are used to study formation of both stable and metastable dimers in dilute argon over a 15-500 K temperature range. T he results are compared with previously published trajectory data [R. E. Howard, T. L. Planck, S. R. Trussell, B. Saadevandi, Chem. Phys. Le tt. 1.42, 33 (1987)] and with molecular dynamics data [W. C. Schieve, and H. W. Harrison, J. Chem. Phys. 61, 700 (1974)]. There are serious differences between the results reported by Howard et al. and our traj ectory data, whereas good agreement is achieved with the molecular-dyn amics results reported by Schieve and Harrison. The computed recombina tion rate coefficients for argon are used to assess atom-atom recombin ation rates in other noble gases. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physi cs. [S0021-9606(98)01043-5].