Abstract
We present calculations of ion-atom collisions using a partial-wave expansion of the projectile wavefunction. Most calculations of ion-atom collisions have typically used classical or plane-wave approximations for the projectile wavefunction, since partial-wave expansions are expected to require prohibitively large numbers of terms to converge scattering quantities. Here we show that such calculations are possible using modern high-performance computing. We demonstrate the utility of our method by examining elastic scattering of protons by hydrogen and helium atoms, problems familiar to undergraduate students of atomic scattering. Application to ionization of helium using partial-wave expansions of the projectile wavefunction, which has long been desirable in heavy-ion collision physics, is thus quite feasible.
Recommended Citation
T. G. Wong et al., "Treatment of Ion-Atom Collisions using a Partial-Wave Expansion of the Projectile Wavefunction," European Journal of Physics, Institute of Physics - IOP Publishing, May 2009.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/30/3/002
Department(s)
Physics
Sponsor(s)
Los Alamos National Laboratory
National Science Foundation (U.S.)
Keywords and Phrases
Communication; Education; Atomic Physics; Molecular Physics
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0143-0807
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2009 Institute of Physics - IOP Publishing, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 May 2009
