The effect of a nonresonant radiative field on low-energy rotationally inelastic $\text{Na}^{+} + \text{N}_2$ collisions

TL;DR

This study investigates how a nonresonant radiative field influences rotationally inelastic collisions between Na+ ions and N2 molecules, revealing significant changes in scattering behavior and steric asymmetry using an extended Fraunhofer model.

Contribution

It introduces an extension of the Fraunhofer scattering model to account for the effects of nonresonant radiative fields on molecular collision dynamics.

Findings

Radiative field aligns molecules, altering scattering cross sections.

Differential and integral cross sections are significantly affected.

Predictions include steric asymmetry depending on field orientation.

Abstract

We examine the effects of a linearly polarized nonresonant radiative field on the dynamics of rotationally inelastic $\text{Na}^{+} + \text{N}_2$ collisions at eV collision energies. Our treatment is based on the Fraunhofer model of matter wave scattering and its recent extension to collisions in electric fields [arXiv:0804.3318v1]. The nonresonant radiative field changes the effective shape of the target molecule by aligning it in the space-fixed frame. This markedly alters the differential and integral scattering cross sections. As the cross sections can be evaluated for a polarization of the radiative field collinear or perpendicular to the relative velocity vector, the model also offers predictions about steric asymmetry of the collisions.