Interactions and low energy collisions between an alkali ion and an alkali atom of different nucleus

TL;DR

This paper provides theoretical calculations of interaction potentials and low energy collision properties between different alkali atoms and ions, offering insights for future experimental quantum collision studies.

Contribution

It introduces detailed molecular potential calculations and scattering analysis for heteronuclear alkali atom-ion systems, which were not comprehensively studied before.

Findings

Convergent total scattering cross sections require at least 60 partial waves at 1 K energies.

Calculated ground and excited state potentials align with previous results.

Cold collision properties are characterized for various alkali atom-ion pairs.

Abstract

We study theoretically interaction potentials and low energy collisions between different alkali atoms and alkali ions. Specifically, we consider systems like X + Y$^{+}$, where X(Y$^{+})$ is either Li(Cs$^+$) or Cs(Li$^+$), Na(Cs$^+$) or Cs(Na$^+$) and Li(Rb$^+$) or Rb(Li$^+$). We calculate the molecular potentials of the ground and first two excited states of these three systems using pseudopotential method and compare our results with those obtained by others. We derive ground-state scattering wave functions and analyze cold collisional properties of these systems for a wide range of energies. We find that, in order to get convergent results for the total scattering cross sections for energies of the order 1 K, one needs to take into account at least 60 partial waves. Low energy scattering properties calculated in this paper may serve as a precursor for experimental exploration of quantum collisions between an alkali atom and an alkali ion of different nucleus.