2007/01/18 by Roman Čurı́k, R. Čurík, Chris H. Greene · 1 citation
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Algorithm #Computer science #Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications #Molecular Spectroscopy and Structure #Physics #physics.chem-ph #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.98.173201
Submitted to PRL
arxiv created 2007/01/18 · openalex publication_date 2007/04/26 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · arxiv updated 2016/08/17 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The molecule is prototypical of the dissociative recombination (DR) process, in which a colliding electron destroys the molecule through Rydberg capture pathways. This Letter develops the first quantitative test of the Siegert state multichannel quantum-defect theory description of indirect DR for a diatomic molecular ion. The -matrix approach is adopted to calculate quantum defects, functions of the internuclear distance that characterize both Rydberg states and the zero-energy collisions of electrons with ions. We identify the doorways to fast indirect DR as complex resonance manifolds, which couple closed channels having both high and low principal quantum numbers. This sheds new light on the competition between direct and indirect DR pathways and suggests the reason previous theory underestimated the DR rate by an order of magnitude.