Electron capture to the continuum induced by dipolar interaction

A three-body classical trajectory Monte Carlo method has been used to inves tigate the process of electron capture to the continuum (ECC) by dipole par ticles impinging on hydrogen atoms. The projectile consisted of two particl es of apposite charge separated by a fixed distance. The orientation of the dipole was also fixed. The calculations were carried out for an impact Vel ocity of 1 au. It was found that the energy spectrum of the electron ejecte d via the dipole interaction exhibits a cusp peak at 0 degrees observation angle. The cusp formation was studied as a function of the length and orien tation of the dipole. A particularly intense cusp was observed when the pos itive charge was the leading particle in the dipole. Analysis of individual electron trajectories revealed that quasi-stationary two-centre orbits pla y an important role in the formation of the ECC peak.